Driver In Deadly Atmore Crash Passes Away

April 17, 2012

The driver in an Atmore crash that killed a 3-month old baby last week has passed away.

Emmett Clyde Gross Jr., 24, of Atmore, died as a result of injuries he received in a single vehicle accident last Thursday in Atmore.

Three-month-old Alexis McGhee died in the single vehicle crash just after 1 p.m. April 12 on Highway 21 near the casino in Atmore.  According to Alabama State Troopers, she was not restrained. She was ejected and pronounced dead on the scene.

Gross  was driving north on Highway 21 near the casino in a 1985 Oldmobile Cutlass when he lost control. The vehicle left the roadway, hit an embankment, became airborne and landed on its roof in a field. The vehicle then burst in flames.

Gross, who was not wearing a seat belt, was also ejected from the vehicle. Another passenger, one-year-old Kelyn McGhee, was also injured, but later released from the hospital.

The  accident remains under investigation by Alabama State Troopers.

The Poarch Fire Department, Atmore Fire Department, Atmore Ambulance, the Atmore Police Department, Poarch Police Department and the Escambia County (Ala.) Sheriff’s Office also responded to the crash.

Pictured: A car burst into flames after a single vehicle accident in Atmore Thursday afternoon. Reader submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.

Comments

15 Responses to “Driver In Deadly Atmore Crash Passes Away”

  1. Torri on May 17th, 2012 12:17 pm

    My prayers go out to the family. i know them and i love them very much like my own family. Alexis is my best friends niece and her nephew and her sisters boyfriend was in the car. I see in her eyes everyday the hard things she is going through. So stop with negative comments. it was not emmett’s fault. there is no one to blame. god needed 2 more angels with him. people who are saying he had drugs and achohol in his system was a lie. and the baby was in a carseat just not restrained. but please dont lie god does not like liers and you wouldnt want nobody to lie if u had incident in the family so thimk if it was in ur situation. I LOVE YALL! -Torri Nicole Scott

  2. Angela Frye on May 13th, 2012 2:21 am

    I just found out about this being Emmett in this wreck. I hope his Mom sees this message or someone who knows her passes it along to her. My son Kris Runyon played football with Emmett in High School. I just saw him not too long ago, he came up to me and hugged me in the store as usual with a big ole smile and a How you doing Mom? It is so hard to believe this child is dead my heart goes out to his family. His is yet another death for the boys who all played ball together. I pray this curse does not take anymore of them. My heart breaks for the family, especially his mom. I can not imagine loosing a Mother, Child and Grandchild so close together. Had I know I would have gone to the funeral. Our Prayers are with all affected.

  3. Tasha on April 26th, 2012 1:45 am

    My prayers go out to the family!!! God is in control and he knows what is best!

  4. Bobby on April 19th, 2012 1:23 pm

    No one is being judged and no on is being the jury. He made a decision that cost a child their life. Both are dead so there is no one to judge. No one is being a juror because there is no one to judge. We are however responding the the “we’ve all done it before” people for making foolish comments. Children die everyday because of adult negligence. One key to prevention is awareness. This stuff needs to be talked about. Yes the family is going through a hard time but the idea that keeping quiet is the best thing to do is really foolish. This isn’t about the family and their hard time. This is about saving kids lives who are at risk of serious harm when in the custody of adults who fail to provide addiquit safety.

  5. Young on April 19th, 2012 9:47 am

    We are all guilty of many things that we have done or not done in our life, but now is not the time to try and be a judge and jury over other people life. Many families has lost their love ones and need our help and support in trying to get past the lost , the hurt, and pain. Emmett was and is a friend of mine and l love and miss him very, so very much. It is hard to see someone one minute and the next they are gone. And for all you wanna be judges and wanna be juries look in the mirror and judge your own life and make sure you dot every I and cross every T . Because if we were all prefect we wouldn’t need GOD!!!! And for them who don’t know who GOD is then you have a problem, a serious problem meaning you need to seek and find out who he is. He is the JUDGE and JURY over all our lives. The only one we have to truly answer too. I love you Gross Family ! From LaBronda Young and the Jordan Family: Jasmine,Domonique,Mica,Michael,Nysheeka,and Doelin. Justin keep your head up!

  6. Jessica on April 18th, 2012 11:55 am

    It is a very sad situation, and I think we as a community should make it clear that his actions were innapproptiate. Making excuses is not what needs to happen. I see people driving around Atmore all the time with babies in their lap. People, this is what happens. It isn’t worth the risk. People need to learn from this, and making excuse and saying “we’ve all done it” isn’t gonna help. And, I for one have never driven my child without a carseat.

  7. Bobby on April 18th, 2012 8:45 am

    I’m with you mom. My children have never been left unbuckled….NEVER! Their life means more to me than my laziness. No excuses for not affording a car seat either. DHR will get anyone a carseat for free who can not afford one. Walmart will usually do it too.

  8. mom on April 18th, 2012 2:45 am

    @Misty
    “we have all made mistakes of not buckling our kids up and some have been very luck for this kind of situation not happen to us…”

    as much as i am sorry for this family and pray for their peace it will not change the fact that is they had been buckled in they probably would have survived, especially the infant, and no we have not all made that mistake, EVERY SINGLE time mine have been in a moving vehicle in their life they have been buckled up, and while i am my soapbox, they have never ridden in the bed of our truck, or on a 4 wheeler, or without a helmet on a bike, and yes i understand that one day they will be on their own

  9. TW on April 17th, 2012 1:45 pm

    So sorry to hear that. Praying for the family.

  10. dee from the b.p. on April 17th, 2012 12:42 pm

    this is such a heart wrenching tragedy, we should pray for not only the lost souls but for those they left behind greiving and heartbroken. no one can say why or how this happened but it is behind us now. i hope that all family and friends whose lives these two touched can all stand together and hold eachother up.

  11. BG on April 17th, 2012 11:45 am

    May this family have God surround them with love at this time. I know seatbelts are very important but in every bad there is some good. Because of the choice they made neither had to burn up and if I was this family I would thank God for that.

  12. CD on April 17th, 2012 11:43 am

    So sad. The family is in the prayers of many North Escambians!

  13. Misty on April 17th, 2012 9:30 am

    Prayig for Gross/McGhee family I have been there all week at the hospital seeing both families having a hard time dealing with this!!! Emmett also lost his grandmother this past week so this family is having a hard time having to bury 3 ppl n a week!!! So I pray this family can find peace and hold on to faith!!! Emmett was a great guy and loved his kids he had them with him all the time we have all made mistakes of not buckling our kids up and some have been very luck for this kind of situation not happen to us… He just wasn’t so lucky this day that god call a beautful little girl home and a great guy home, that could put a smile on anyones face he ran into!! him and my brother was like family you ask them how they know each other they would respond “we are brothers of another color”!!!! My heart goes out to this family I love them all for they are all going thur a hard time so please keep them all in your prayers for they need them at this time in there life…..

  14. Bama2485 on April 17th, 2012 9:14 am

    It’s so sad that we constantly losing young people to car wrecks and even worse when a child loses their life. This is a horrific ordeal my thoughts and prayers are with the family and I hope they can peace and stay strong. Everything happens for a reason so don’t give up on faith.

  15. Nique on April 17th, 2012 8:54 am

    Im praying for the Gross family at this hard time in their life. Emmett was a very close friend in my family. He was always a happy boy/man; very funny and outgoing person. He will absolutely be missed.