An Eatonton father is dead after his four-wheeler left a Putnam County road and slammed into a utility pole. Kenneth Reid Meyer, 31, was flown to a hospital by helicopter but did not survive. He leaves behind a 14-year-old daughter named Anslee.
According to WGXA, the single-vehicle crash happened around 3:59 p.m. on Saturday on the 100 block of Flat Rock Road. The station reports Meyer had been driving a Honda four-wheeler-type ATV when he drove off the roadway, and the ATV eventually collided with a utility pole. The impact threw him from the machine.
The same report says Meyer was flown by helicopter to Atrium Navicent Medical Center. From there, the accounts diverge on one point.
Conflicting Accounts on When He Died
WGXA's account says Meyer died later that afternoon at the hospital. Yahoo reports that first responders flew him to Atrium Health Navicent in Macon, where he died on Monday afternoon. WSB-TV likewise reports, attributing it to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, that he died Monday from his injuries.
A Father Rebuilding His Life
Meyer's family has launched a GoFundme fundraiser, WSB-TV reports. The campaign aims to cover expenses following his unexpected death and to financially support Anslee as she grows up without her father. Funds will also help with celebration-of-life expenses and outstanding debts, and a portion is slated for God Behind Bars, a Christian organization that works with incarcerated people.
In the fundraiser, the family described Meyer as charismatic, funny and fiercely loyal. They wrote that he returned home about three years ago, determined to change his life and become a dependable father. His relationship with Anslee, the family said, became one of the most important parts of his life.
Loved ones told WSB-TV that people can change, lives can be transformed, and everyone deserves an opportunity to move beyond their past. They also said he was deeply loved and that his loss leaves a hole in the hearts of family and friends. Arrangements for his celebration of life will be announced in the coming days.
Part of a Larger Georgia Pattern
The crash adds to a grim tally of off-road vehicle deaths across the state. FOX 5 Atlanta reported that from January 1 through June 20, 2025, the Georgia State Patrol investigated 42 crashes involving ATVs and multipurpose off-highway vehicles, resulting in 13 deaths and 64 serious injuries.
Among the cases the station cited, a 16-year-old passenger died on May 31, 2025, in Southeast Georgia after an ATV veered off the road and struck a tree. A 39-year-old man was found dead under an overturned multipurpose off-highway vehicle on private property in Middle Georgia on June 15, 2025.
