Lowndes students killed

Published 12:10 am Saturday, May 15, 2010

A tragic car accident on Thursday claimed the lives of two Lowndes High School students.

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Just before 10 p.m., in the area of Stewart Circle off of Old Highway 41, a Jeep Wrangler driven by one of the students flipped over on the dirt road. Authorities were unable to provide a cause of the accident at press time.

Lowndes County Fire/Rescue, Emergency Medical Services and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

“Perry (Ward) Chandler (age 17) was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene,” Lowndes County Coroner Bill Watson said.

The other student, Justin Daniel Neeley, 17, was transported to South Georgia Medical Center. He was airlifted to Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Fla. He died around 2 a.m. Friday.

Watson said that it was hard to determine if the two teenagers were wearing seat belts at the time of the accident.

At press time, the cause of the accident remained under investigation by the Georgia State Patrol.

The GSP released no details about the incident or the investigation.

According to Carson McLane Funeral Home, the Neeley family and the Chandler family will receive friends from 3-6 p.m. on Sunday, May 16, at the funeral home. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday at Perimeter Road Baptist Church.