Frisco City man is killed in auto crash

An automobile accident Friday morning claimed the life of a Frisco City man, according to Alabama State Troopers.

Joshua Drew Simpson, 20, of Frisco City was fatally injured in a one-vehicle accident Friday around 10:58 a.m. near 1172 Jeddo Road, about one and a quarter miles off of State Highway 21 near Uriah. Simpson was driving a 2021 GMC Canyon that left the road, struck a ditch and tree, before catching fire, Alabama State Trooper spokesman Joshua Thompson said. Simpson was pronounced dead at the scene, Thompson said.

Eight Uriah firefighters responded to the accident with a fire engine and a brush truck, and they assisted at the scene for about three and a half hours according Uriah Assistant Chief Bryan Hill.

Trooper Travis Smith responded to the accident, which remains under investigation by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's Highway Patrol Division.

Simpson was a recent graduate of Monroe Academy and Coastal Alabama Community College. He was an employee in woodyard maintenance for Georgia-Pacific Cellulose.

An active member of Excel Assembly of God, Simpson was known for his love of people and fellow employees, saying his work at Georgia-Pacific was not a chore or task, but something he looked forward to.

Simpson's funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at Monroe Chapel Funeral Home with the Rev. Allen Robinson officiating. Burial will be held in Excel Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Simpson's memory to the Monroe County PTA or Excel Assembly of God.

Simpson is survived by his parents Joshua Cater Simpson and Amanda Drew Simpson of Excel; his grandparents Nancy Simpson and Bobby and Linda Drew of Excel; one brother Jackson Elbert Simpson; and two sisters, Elizabeth Cate Simpson and Ava Ruth Simpson of Excel.