Two Georgia Southern University students from metro Atlanta were killed in a fiery crash with a wrong-way driver on I-16 in Laurens County, authorities said.

Jack “Deacon” Harris and Garrett Harris were heading east in a Saturn L200 when a Toyota Avalon hit them about 1:15 a.m. Sunday, the Georgia State Patrol told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“The Saturn was engulfed in flames and the occupants succumbed to their injuries,” the GSP said.

GSP officials said the driver of the Toyota, Jared Adler, 27, of Sandy Springs, was taken to Navicent Health Medical Center in Macon with injuries.

His condition is unknown at this time.

According to The George-Anne, the university newspaper, the brothers were returning to the Georgia Southern campus after Thanksgiving break in metro Atlanta. 

“They had a little bit of homework to finish up (and) wanted to spend time with their friends before classes started Monday,” their father Jack Harris told the student newspaper. “So they left to drive at night thinking traffic would be better and this accident happened."

You can read the full story at MyAJC.com.

GoFundMe page has been established to assist the family of the brothers with funeral expenses. The family has scheduled a memorial service at 4 p.m. Saturday at Cauble Park on Lake Acworth in Acworth.

In other news:

Bullet holes are both outside and inside the home that belongs to Monroe's assistant police chief.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Metapros assemble parts on the IONIQ 5 electric car at the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County, GA on March 26, 2025.  (Justin Taylor/The Current GA)

Credit: Justin Taylor for The Current GA

Featured

Parts of northeast Georgia — extending south to Carroll County, through Bartow County and north into Fannin County — are under a Level 2 threat for possible scattered severe storms Sunday. By Monday, nearly all of Georgia will be under a Level 3 threat. (Ben Hendren for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Ben Hendren