Trooper Joel J. Hart
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
Recruiting Coordinator – Troop D
Public Affairs Officer
OPELIKA POST – A single-vehicle crash at approximately 12:13 a.m. today, Dec. 23, has claimed the life of an Opelika man. Auston Blake Hodges, 19, was killed when the 2008 Toyota Camry he was driving left the roadway and overturned multiple times.
Hodges, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced deceased at the scene. Passenger Jacob Paul Gather III, 19, of Opelika was also ejected when the Toyota, overturned, but he was not injured.
The crash occurred on Huguley Road near Collier Road, approximately 15 miles south of Opelika. Nothing further is available as Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) Highway Patrol Division continue to investigate.
