Sadly, on Friday night, a car crash proved fatal for a 74-year-old man from Montgomery. He sustained critical injuries that he was unable to recover from.
According to state troopers, Alice Law Cole, 72, was driving a brand new Chevrolet Traverse down East Old Hayneville Road with her husband, Everett Knight Cole, in the passenger seat. Unfortunately, at around 5:53 p.m., their vehicle collided with a 1998 Chevrolet truck.
In the news release from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the driver of the truck involved in the crash was not identified due to being a 17-year-old juvenile. It was reported that the driver was not wearing a seat belt during the incident and had to be taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
Upon arrival at the location, law enforcement officials pronounced Everett Cole dead at the scene. It was discovered that he was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the incident, which took place approximately 12 miles south of the Montgomery city limits.
Wheelchairs for Warriors, a nonprofit organization, reports that Cole, a former U.S. Marine, received a Purple Heart for his service during the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, Cole’s left leg had to be amputated above the knee, and as a gesture of gratitude, Wheelchairs for Warriors gifted him a wheelchair.
On the Wheelchairs for Warriors website, you can find an inspiring retelling of Everett Cole’s life story. The account chronicles how he was drafted from Moss Point, Mississippi at the young age of 19 and sent to Vietnam, where he served for four months before a landmine explosion left him with severe leg injuries. Following the incident, he underwent treatment at several military hospitals before being transferred to the VA hospital in Montgomery, where he eventually met his wife.
“I have lived my life to the fullest the best that I could,” he told Wheelchairs for Warriors . “Vietnam stole my youth. I never had a chance to grow up.”
Cole attended Alabama Christian College, now Faulkner University, and Huntingdon College before joining the VA Regional Office in Montgomery. He worked there until his retirement, assisting veterans like himself.
Cole’s memorial service will be conducted at Leak Memorial Chapel in Montgomery, according to his obituary, although the date and hour are not specified. As state troopers with the ALEA Highway Patrol Division continue to investigate the car crash, no other information is available.
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