Fundraiser for wreck victim’s family

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Emergency personnel eye the accident site where Joshua Etheridge crashed Friday. Photo courtesy of the APD

A local organization is working to help the family of a Georgiana man who died Friday in a one-vehicle accident on “Debro Hill.”

Sgt. Jason Curry with the Andalusia Police Department said 25-year-old Joshua David Etheridge’s car was found around 6 a.m. Friday. He was transported by Advanced EMS to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Fla., where he died later that day from his injuries.

“What we can tell is that the wreck happened sometime during the night,” Curry said. “(Etheridge) was traveling east on U.S. Hwy. 84 when he went off the roadway, lost control and hit a concrete culvert.”

Etheridge, who suffered major head trauma, was not wearing a seat belt and alcohol is not believed to have contributed to the accident, Curry said.

To help the family with final expenses, the Red Level VFW and friends of the Etheridge family will be selling sausage dog and hamburger plates on Saturday, beginning at noon.

Those at the VFW said a rummage sale, and possibly an auction, will be held to raise additional funds.

Etheridge is survived by his wife, Crystal, who is employed as a bartender at the VFW, and their two children, 2-year-old Marley and 3-year-old Maddox.