BANKSTON, Ala. – It’s a gut-wrenching story no matter where you live, but the Brasher family, the pain is indescribable. In the blink of an eye, both father and son were killed in a head-on collision with each other.
No one can answer why the unthinkable happens, but in this case, investigators do believe they know how it happened.
Father Jeffrey Brasher was a bread distributor for 20 years. He was heading to work in his Ford pickup during the pre-dawn hours Saturday.
His only son Austin, driving a Chevy pick-up, was heading home after a night of partying with friends.
At 4 a.m. on a county road just 10 miles from the family home, one of the trucks crossed over into the wrong lane.
Neither driver was wearing a seat belt.
Dad died instantly. Austin clung to life in a Birmingham hospital for about five hours, but his injuries were just too severe. He was only 22-years-old. The elder Brasher was 50 and married for half of his life. The couple also has a daughter.
Apparently, this is a tight-knit community where everybody is on a first-name basis. Even the first responders recognized the victims immediately. Word spread quickly and area businesses immediately set up donation tables. A photo display inside a local Walmart stands as a makeshift memorial.
A tragic accident for one family leaves an entire community to grieve.
