Baby injured in fatal crash "appears to be doing better"

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By Helena Oliviero and Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A two-month old boy badly injured Sunday in a Cherokee County head-on collision that killed his parents was in stable condition Monday, a sheriff's spokesman said.

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Channel 2 Action News The car left the road on Knox Bridge Highway about five miles west of Canton.

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Cherokee sheriff's Lt. Jay Baker said late Monday morning that the child, who was taken to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, "appears to be doing better."

"Physicians are monitoring the injury to his head," Baker said. "So far, his brain injury has not required any surgery."

The baby's right leg was also broken in the crash.

Police identified the dead couple as Rick Dean Headen, 48 and Charlotte Ann Sedtal, 40, both of Sour Lake, Texas. They were the parents of the baby who was in the rear of the car. Authorities have not released the baby's name.

The accident happened about 11 a.m. on Knox Bridge Hwy about five miles west of Canton.

Headen and Sedtal were heading eastbound in a Ford Focus and appeared to have veered into the other lane, hitting a pick up truck, according to Baker.

"It appears they were driving through Georgia on their way to another state," Baker told the AJC. "A family member from another state is currently on their way to the hospital. That relative will have temporary custody of the child when he is released from Scottish Rite," Baker added.

The couple died at the scene. Two adults in the pick up truck were injured but their injuries do not appear to life-threatening. They were transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital.

The accident is under investigation.