Pinckneyville athlete killed in wreck on Saturday
Tragedy struck Pinckneyville High School on Saturday when a student-athlete was killed in a single-vehicle wreck.
Garrett Williams, known as "Grizzy," is a PCHS junior, wrestler, and a pitcher for the baseball Panthers. The wreck happened during Pinckneyville's Saturday night football game.
First responders were called at 7:50 p.m. Saturday to Robin Road a quarter mile north of Farmers Market Road about three miles northeast of Tamaroa.
Responding agencies included the Perry County Sheriff's Department, the Tamaroa Fire Department and the Pinckneyville Ambulance Service.
When emergency personnel arrived, they found Williams, 16, outside his truck and pinned beneath the cab.
Perry County Coroner Paul Searby pronounced him dead at the scene. Friends say Garrett had been attending a friend's birthday party only a half mile away from where the wreck happened. He left the home after the gathering, was the lone occupant and was following another pickup truck on Robin Road when he lost control of the vehicle.
The report from the Perry County Sheriff's Department will not be available until Monday and the investigation continues.
Funeral arrangements have not been announced and school administrators were determining on Sunday how best to provide comfort to students and provide a meaningful way to remember Garrett.
The Pinckneyville football team found out in their locker room moments after a 29-28 loss to Benton.
"Our administration had to tell our kids immediately after our loss," Pinckneyville football coach Todd Thomas said. "They were very emotional anyway. It was a horrific evening."
The Panthers and Rangers were playing Saturday night after their game was suspended Friday. The wreck happened during the game.
"It's been a real surreal evening and morning for all of us," Thomas said. "Right now, at this point in time, the football game is kind of insignificant. Our thoughts and prayers go out to this boy's family. He was a wrestler. He was close to several of our players. We've got some very distraught young men right now that are going to need some support."