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.??

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The city of Brookhaven's mayor and City Council last week decided to remove the colored panes of glass from the dome of Brookhaven's new City Centre after residents objected to the brightness of the colors, seen here Friday, June 27, 2025. (Reed Williams/AJC)

Credit: Reed Williams/AJC