The Spectator The independent student newspaper of Valdosta State University
Written By: John Stephen
A young VSU employee died after colliding head-on with another vehicle on Sept. 4 in Lowndes County, only a few miles from his home, according to an article published by the Valdosta Daily Times.
Cody Morris, a 22-year-old maintenance worker at VSU, was driving through a severe thunderstorm when he collided with a vehicle on Rocky Ford Road, near Mt. Zion Road. The driver in the other vehicle was 28-year-old Crispino Hernandez, also a Valdosta resident.
Both men were pronounced dead at the scene and had to be extricated from their vehicles, according to Georgia State Patrol Corporal William West.
According to WALB News 10, GSP arrived at the scene around 5:30 p.m., but worked into the night trying to figure out exactly what happened.
“We are not 100 percent sure what the contributing factors were, but we are sure that weather conditions played a part,” West said to the VDT.
Rocky Ford Road was shut down for several hours as emergency workers cleared debris from the road, according to WALB.
Music Funeral Services handled Morris’s funeral and posted an obituary for Morris on its website, commemorating his life.
“(Morris) was full of life, free-spirited and loved by all. He loved hunting, fishing, camping, muscle cars and the hills of Tennessee,” the obituary read.
Morris attended Lowndes High School and was known for the lime green El Camino he drove, the car he was in when the fatal accident occurred.
Dr. Barbara Radcliffe, interim head of VSU’s middle grades, secondary, reading and deaf education department, knew Morris and had only good things to say about him.
“Cody was a ray of sunshine in the College of Education and Human Services,” Dr. Radcliffe said in the comments section of Morris’s obituary page. “He always had a smile on his face and would say, ‘swell’ when asked how he was.
“I never heard a single complaint or negative comment from this young man. He will be greatly missed by his VSU-COEHS friends,” Dr. Radcliffe said.
Funeral services for Morris were held at Music Funeral Services Sept. 5 and 6.
As Cody’s mom this is hardest time in my life. I was so proud of my son and the impact that he had on so many lives. Cody lived every day as if it were his last day. As parents, we always think our kids are great. With that being said, I can honestly say that Cody was great and had the largest heart and loved life. In a time like this your heart is broken and you can’t understand how something so tragic could happen. It was amazing at all the wonderful comments that I heard during the services. As a mom that helped to give me some comfort because the number one thing that everyone said was how respectful he was and that he always had a smile on his face. Cody loved his family, job, friends and his “Green El Camino”. I hope that this tragedy can make people understand how we are not promised tomorrow. I want to thank everyone for their prayers and encouragement during this time in our life. Cody will always be remembered and I thank God for giving me such a wonderful son. Life will never be the same without him.