Search fatalities

Montavius Arontae Parham

Age : 20

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 01/01/2022

Location : County Road just east of U.S. Highway 19, near Northside Baptist Church

City : Thomaston

County : Upson

State : Georgia

Agency : Thomaston Police Department / Georgia State Patrol Post 26

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed in crash during street race; police pursued drivers

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

Contemporary reporting states that Parham and another driver were street racing through Thomaston before Parham crashed. Police were able to stop the other driver after the crash.
NARRATIVE:
On 01/01/2022, 20-year-old Montavius Arontae Parham of Thomaston was killed after the Dodge Charger Hellcat he was driving left the roadway and crashed into a ditch in Upson County. Contemporary local reporting identified the incident as a street-racing crash involving Parham and another motorist traveling north through Thomaston on U.S. Highway 19 at speeds reported to exceed 80 mph.
.
According to Thomaston Police Chief Mike Richardson, Parham and 32-year-old Cortez Puckett were racing northbound through town. Parham turned east from Highway 19 onto County Road and lost control shortly after passing Northside Baptist Church. His Charger left the roadway and entered a ditch.
.
Parham was trapped inside the wrecked vehicle. First responders used hydraulic rescue equipment to free him, and he was transported to the emergency room, where he was pronounced dead.
.
Police stopped Puckett near the Waffle House in the Northside area. Puckett was subsequently charged with street racing, reckless stunt driving, and driving too fast for conditions. The available reporting does not state that police were pursuing Parham before his crash, nor does it describe officers attempting a traffic stop of Parham or following his vehicle in a pursuit.
.
Georgia State Patrol Post 26 investigated the fatal crash. Georgia Department of Public Safety records from the New Year's holiday period independently confirm that the Thomaston State Patrol post investigated a fatal crash during that period.
.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://fun101fm.blogspot.com/2022/01/traffic-fatality-in-upson-involving.html
https://www.burdensfuneralhome.net/obituary/montavius-parham
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/montavius-parham-obituary?id=32208595
https://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-crashes-kill-15-over-new-years-weekend/US7SQ767DFGMBEEUBOKCF6GDC4/