A father and son, Matthew Terrell Collins Sr., 58, and Matthew Terrell Collins Jr., 29, were killed by a falling tree during a storm. The tragic incident occurred on a golf course in Georgia, as reported by People and confirmed by the Columbus Fire-EMS Chief Sal Scarpa who expressed that "Our thoughts are with the family members of the deceased," in a statement obtained by ABC affiliate WSBTV. The incident occurred at Bull Creek Golf Course in Midland, where the two took shelter from severe weather in their golf cart a tree fell upon them, leading to their untimely deaths due to blunt force trauma, according to Muscogee County coroner Buddy Bryan in an interview with 11 Alive.
The tragic event, which took place on Sunday, April 6, has prompted a GoFundMe page created in support of the surviving family members, which has since surpassed its initial $20,000 goal, raising more than $25,000 as described by FOX 5 Atlanta. Matthew Jr. was commemorated as "a loyal friend, a kindhearted soul, and someone who always showed up for the people in his life," and their sudden loss was described as "a devastating blow" to their friends and family, organizers of the fundraiser for the father and son who had a deep bond shared their unfortunate last moment together in an outing intended for leisure and familial bonding, now turned into a commemoration of their legacy.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp expressed his condolences through a social media platform X posting, "Marty, the girls, and I are saddened by the tragic deaths of two Georgians in Muscogee County today as a result of the severe weather," as reported by People. This incident is part of a larger pattern of extreme weather-related fatalities, with at least 20 deaths reported since the previous Wednesday due to storms in the South and Midwest, according to ABC News.
