COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — A high school football player in Coweta County was tragically killed after he was involved in a car crash on Feb. 11.
At 10:26 p.m., 16-year-old Javier Dodson was rushed to Grady Hospital after troopers said he was driving his mom's 2021 Nissan Altima too fast on Cannongate Road in Palmetto when he failed to navigate a right curve and crossed the center line before colliding head-on with a tree, a report from Georgia State Patrol said.
Dodson was taken to the hospital in critical condition by Coweta EMS, but he later died on Thursday, according to an online fundraiser set up for his family.
Dodson attended Northgate High School in Sharpsburg, Ga., where he played on the football team, the online fundraiser said.
According to an incident report from GSP, Dodson was "disoriented" when the officer arrived at the scene 14 minutes later and could not verbally tell the officer what had happened.
A witness who saw the crash called 911 and said that she thought Dodson's car was going to pass her before it veered off the road, according to the report.
Dodson's mother, Brandy Benitez Garcia, reached out to 11Alive with a statement on her son, reading: "He loves football and his family. He was very outgoing and had a funny personality. He was loved by many and will be greatly missed. #56 strong.”
A friend of Garcia set up the online fundraiser – with proceeds helping his family.
"It's with a heavy heart that we come to you to say that heaven gained another precious angel. Javier was given his wings. We now ask that you continue to pray for Brandy and the family’s comfort and guidance as they navigate this next chapter," the fundraiser read.
