Crime & Public Safety
Crime & Public Safety

Floyd County businessman, grandfather killed in Alabama wreck

James Harold Hillis Jr. died in a single-vehicle car wreck in Alabama on Saturday afternoon.

Credit: Rome News-Tribune / WAFF

Credit: Rome News-Tribune / WAFF

James Harold Hillis Jr. died in a single-vehicle car wreck in Alabama on Saturday afternoon.
By
July 2, 2019

A businessman and grandfather from Silver Creek was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Alabama over the weekend, according to several media reports.

James Harold Hillis Jr., 61, died after the 1999 Mack tractor-trailer he was driving ran off I-59 in DeKalb County, Ala., and struck a ditch before overturning and catching on fire, Huntsville, Ala.,-based news station WAFF reported.

The wreck happened Saturday just before 3:45 p.m. Hillis was pronounced dead by Alabama state troopers at the scene, the news station reported.

According to his obituary in the Rome News-Tribune, he was born at Fort Benning and attended the University of Arkansas. Hillis owned and operated Hillis Outdoor Specialist Inc. in Floyd County.

His funeral is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in Rome.

In other news:

Police have released bodycam video of??a dramatic police shooting that left a man dead in Athens.??The man, identified as 23-year-old Aaron Hong,??was killed and one officer was injured.??

About the Author

Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.

Follow Zachary Hansen on facebookFollow Zachary Hansen on twitter
More Stories

The Latest

Jeziel Romero, 2, died from fentanyl in late 2023, investigators said. (Courtesy of Romero family)

Credit: Family photo

Cobb mother gets 50 years in prison for toddler’s fentanyl death

Georgia judge resigns after Florida strip club arrest

Judge resigns as council president after Florida strip club arrest

Featured

The renovation of Jekyll Island's Great Dunes golf course includes nine holes designed by Walter Travis in the 1920s for the members of the Jekyll Island Club. Several holes that were part of the original layout where located along the beach and were bulldozed in the 1950s.(Photo by Austin Kaseman)

Credit: Photo by Austin Kaseman

Gilded Age tycoons built Jekyll’s doomed golf course. It’s been resurrected.

Jekyll Island's historic golf course, Great Dunes, was designed by Walter Travis in the Gilded Age. It reopens Nov. 1 on Georgia's coast after a painstaking restoration.

Embattled Fulton judge sued over woman’s ‘illegal’ jailing

While facing possible removal from the bench, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Shermela Williams has been sued by a young woman she jailed during a divorce hearing.

KEN SUGIURA

A miserable loss leaves even less reason to believe in Falcons, Morris

Falcons coach Raheem Morris was accountable for the team's failures after a 34-10 loss to Miami, but that isn't enough if this team wants to make the postseason.