ATHENS, Ga. — A crash that killed a University of Georgia football player and a recruitment staff member was caused in part by excessive speed, according to the crash report released on Tuesday.
The crash happened early Sunday morning on Barnett Shoals Road in Athens just hours after UGA celebrated their second consecutive championship game with a parade.
Chandler LeCroy, 24, and 20-year-old UGA linebacker Devin Willock were both killed.
According to the Georgia Motor Vehicle Crash Report, the 2021 Ford Expedition, driven by LeCroy, failed to negotiate a curve and hit a curb.
The report determined that the car was speeding when it left the road, hit two utility poles, and cut the poles in half. The SUV then hit a tree on the rear passenger side, rotated clockwise, and hit another tree on the driver’s side.
Willock was sitting in the rear driver-side seat behind LeCroy. He was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene, according to the report. LeCroy was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Another UGA player and recruitment staffer were also injured in the crash.
Offensive tackle Warren McClendon, 21, was in the passenger seat. Victoria Bowles was in the rear passenger seat. She was seriously injured.
The posted speed on the road was 40 mph. It’s unclear how fast LeCroy was driving, but Athens-Clarke County police Lt. Shaun Barnett said the investigation will help determine a more precise speed.
Police did not say if there were other factors that led to the crash.
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