Tropical Storm Claudette Kills 13 in Alabama, Heading to East Coast

By Alyssa Wilson Published: June 21, 2021

Tropical Storm Claudette Kills 13 in Alabama, Heading to East Coast

Thirteen people, including multiple children, were killed in Alabama from Tropical Storm Claudette.

By: Alyssa Wilson

Thirteen people in Alabama were killed in a multi-vehicle crash Sunday as Tropical Depression Claudette moved through the state. According to The Guardian, the crash, which took place about 35 miles south of Montgomery, was likely caused by the vehicles hydroplaning in wet conditions.

#StartYourDay headlines with @Lauren_BNC: Tropical storm Claudette caused a fiery crash in Alabama that killed 9 children and 1 adult. Atlanta woman survives after a tree falls on her car. Watch live: https://t.co/mpKQ1GrIAn pic.twitter.com/13zWpun8F2

— BNC (@BNCNews) June 21, 2021

Of the thirteen victims, many were children from the Tallapoosa County Girls Ranch, a youth home for abused and neglected children, traveling from the Gulf Shores in a van. Michael Smith, the ranch CEO, said the ranch director Candice Gulley was the only survivor and she had to be pulled from the flames by a bystander. Her two daughters were killed in the crash. “Words cannot explain what I saw,” Smith said. “We love these girls like they’re our own children.”

Cody Fox, a 29-year-old man, and his nine-month-old daughter Ariana were also killed in the crash. Ten investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the incident.

The NTSB, in coordination with the Alabama Highway Patrol, is sending 10 investigators to conduct a safety investigation of the fatal June 19, 2021, multi-vehicle crash on I-65, in Butler County, Alabama.

— NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) June 20, 2021

The additional three victims were a 24-year-old man and a three-year-old boy who were killed when a tree fell on their home outside of Tuscaloosa, and a 23-year-old woman who died when her car ran off the road and into a creek, NBC News reported.

On Monday, Claudette had sustained wind speeds of 40 mph as it moved east. It reached Tropical Storm strength again and is expected to travel near Nova Scotia on Tuesday.

Tropical Storm #Claudette Advisory 15: Claudette Reaches Tropical Storm Strength Once Again. https://t.co/VqHn0u1vgc

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) June 21, 2021

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