A 52-year-old Blountsville woman died Sunday afternoon after her car left Alabama Highway 67 near Baileyton, struck a ditch and a tree, and caught fire. Tonya M. Beasinger was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
The crash happened shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday about three miles southeast of Baileyton, near the six-mile marker on Alabama 67, according to WBMA. ALEA said Beasinger was driving a 2026 Toyota Corolla that left the roadway before striking a ditch and a tree, after which the vehicle caught fire. Authorities have not released additional information about what caused the car to leave the road.
Troopers with ALEA's Highway Patrol Division continued investigating the scene following the fatal vehicle fire, according to The Cullman Times. The agency's Highway Patrol Division holds primary jurisdiction over crash investigations across roughly 69,500 miles of Alabama's rural roadways, per the agency's own description of its authority outside municipal boundaries.
A Highway With a History of Fatal Wrecks
Alabama 67, which links northern Cullman County with southern Morgan County, has seen other deadly crashes in recent years. In July 2024, a collision near Hulaco Road on the same highway killed a 78-year-old Baileyton woman, the station's report notes.
This is the second fatal Cullman County traffic incident reported within days. Three days earlier, on October 1, a 69-year-old pedestrian died after being struck by two vehicles on Highway 31 in Cullman, as Hoodline previously reported.
County and State Crash Numbers
Cullman County recorded 19 traffic fatalities in 2024, a slight decrease from the 21 deaths logged in 2023, according to The Cullman Tribune. Within the city of Cullman alone, police investigated 1,006 total traffic accidents in 2024, including six fatal crashes, 20 incapacitating-injury crashes, and 820 property-damage-only incidents, per the same outlet's report on the local police chief's annual figures.
Statewide, Alabama recorded 967 roadway fatalities and more than 36,600 crash injuries in 2024, according to Safe Home Alabama. Coroner and state data suggest that rural, high-speed, single-vehicle crashes that run off the road into trees or ditches account for a substantial share of those fatal collisions. ALEA's own holiday enforcement reports have also flagged seatbelt non-compliance as a recurring factor in rural highway deaths, noting that five out of six vehicular fatalities during the Thanksgiving 2025 travel period involved unrestrained occupants.
Memorial and funeral arrangements for Beasinger, who lived from 1974 to 2026, have been established with Cullman-Heritage Funeral Home in Cullman, confirming her ties to the local community. No additional details about the circumstances of Sunday's crash have been released as ALEA's investigation continues.
