The 3-year-old son of two metro Atlanta high school athletic directors was killed Monday after the ATV he was riding overturned and landed in a ditch.
The child, identified by the Georgia State Patrol as Rhys Howard, was the passenger on a Polaris Ranger driven by a 14-year-old.
Rhys Howard’s parents are Amie Howard, the athletic director at Allatoona High School in Cobb County, and John Howard, the athletic director and an assistant principal at Woodland High School in Bartow County, both districts confirmed to AJC.com.
The 14-year-old was traveling south on Old Tennessee Highway in Bartow County when the Polaris crossed onto the west shoulder and he overcorrected, the GSP said. The ATV flipped and crashed in the ditch on the other side of the road.
Rhys Howard was fatally injured, the agency said. It is not clear if the teenager also sustained injuries. The relationship between the two hasn’t been provided.
“The Cobb County School District was heartbroken to learn of the tragedy over the weekend,” a district spokeswoman said. “Our community will come together to support Athletic Director Amie Howard and her family, who continue to be in our thoughts and prayers.”
Guidance counselors will be available at Woodland High throughout the week, Bartow County School District spokeswoman Alisha Evans told AJC.com. In a statement, the district said, in part:
“Our collective hearts are heavy this week ... There is an unmistakable and oftentimes overwhelming feeling of sadness in countless classrooms and county offices. It’s a heartache that nobody can define.”
A GoFundMe page was created to help the family. As of Friday afternoon, it had raised more than $3,400.
According to the Cartersville-based Daily Tribune News, the family lives in Paulding County.
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