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Report reveals excessive speed a factor in crash that killed UGA football player, team staffer

By WSBTV.com News Staff
By WSBTV.com News Staff

ATHENS, Ga. — A crash that killed a University of Georgia football player and a recruitment staff member was partly caused 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.

Recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy, 24, and UGA offensive lineman Devin Willock, 20, were both killed.

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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 them in half. The SUV then hit a tree on the rear passenger side, rotated clockwise, and hit another tree on the driver’s side.

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Willock was sitting in the rear driver-side seat behind LeCroy. According to the report, he was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. 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.

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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 would help determine a more precise speed.

Police did not say if other factors led to the crash.

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden was on the UGA campus Tuesday, where students were back in school for the first time since the crash.

“I got a text from my parents, and they knew about it and were like, ‘It’s so sad to lose a child after such a celebratory moment,’” Greyson Clen said. “It was really saddening because you could tell all the football players were really having fun and really enjoying themselves and then the tragedy.”

Both victims’ families have set up GoFundMe accounts to help with funeral expenses.

You can donate to them here:

Donate to the Devin Willock family GoFundMe

Donate to the Chandler LeCroy family GoFundMe:

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