The Lassiter High School community is mourning the death of a student in a car crash over the weekend that also killed her father and seriously injured her mother and sister.
That’s according to a fundraiser started for the Rountree family after a Saturday crash in south Georgia.
Libby Rountree, 17, and her father, Chris Rountree, 53, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on U.S. Highway 441 near Dublin on Saturday afternoon, according to a news report in Macon, which also said that two other passengers in their car were injured.
Shaun Cunningham, the organizer for the fundraiser, said Erica Rountree, Chris’ wife, and another daughter, Cate, were also in the car and “sustained serious injuries that have put them both in critical condition.”
Cunningham said Cate Rountree, a 2019 graduate of Mt. Bethel Christian Academy, has undergone two surgeries. In a family update, Erica Rountree wrote that “I’m not sure how we left behind will manage. That is a big question mark with no answer.”
The Rountrees were returning home from a family vacation in Florida when the crash occurred.
The Macon news report said that a Volkswagen Jetta traveling north on U.S. 441 was hit head-on by a GMC Sierra truck that was traveling in the wrong direction around 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Volkwagen was carrying the Rountree family, and the Georgia State Patrol said that the driver of the car (later identified as Chris Rountree) tried to avoid a crash, but could not.
The report said the truck hit the front driver’s side of the Volkswagen. “Chris did his absolute best to swerve out of the way, but the driver was going so fast there wasn’t time and he took the full impact on the driver’s side and Libby was sitting behind him,” Erica Rountree wrote. “His actions saved Cate’s and my lives without a doubt. He has always been our protector and shield and I don’t know what we’ll do without him.”
On Monday, Lassiter principal Chris Richie sent out a message to the school community with the news, saying that “there are no words that could ease the pain that has devastated our Lassiter family and left us heartbroken.”
Libby Rountree was a rising senior and soccer player at Lassiter, and also played in the East Cobb-based NASA Tophat youth soccer program.
“Libby will be remembered as a generous young lady whose smile, infectious laughter, and artistic abilities brought happiness to many students and teachers at Lassiter,” Richie said. “Libby was well-loved by her peers, coaches, and teachers. Libby was a valuable member of the Lassiter community, and we will always remember her for her kindness and loving spirit.”
An evening of prayer has been arranged for the Rountree family Thursday from 5-7 p.m. in the Upper Room of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church (4385 Lower Roswell Road).
“All are welcome,” Cunningham wrote. “Bring notes, cards, etc. Libby’s soccer team will be there.”
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