Matthew Johnson, 24, of Toccoa, Georgia, was killed in a single vehicle accident along Little River Road on Monday, February 25th. Johnson was heading east on the road sometime in the early morning hours in a 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier when his vehicle failed to negotiate a right hand curve, left the roadway, became airborne, then rolled into the river and came to rest submerged upside down in the water. The accident was reported to ranger Bill Ramsey around 8 a.m. When Ramsey got to the scene of the accident, he discovered the Cavalier on its rooftop and submerged in the river’s frigid waters below a 25-foot-high rock wall. He called for a dive team from the Blount County Rescue Squad and additional support. More than 40 people from several agencies responded. The divers were able to attach a cable to the vehicle so that it could be pulled from the river. Johnson’s body was then discovered inside. There was no evidence that he’d attempted to take corrective actions to prevent the accident from occurring. The cause remains under investigation. Ramsey was the incident commander.
