Atlanta Youth Softball Coach Dies in Car Accident, 15-Year-Old Daughter Seriously Injured

Steve Smartt, a well-loved youth softball coach in Duluth, Georgia, was traveling home to metro Atlanta from a softball tournament in Panama City, Florida, with his fifteen-year-old daughter, Sydney, when their car crashed and threw him from the vehicle. According to reports, Sydney was driving when she lost control of the vehicle near Troy, Alabama, on U.S. 231. Steve Smartt was then ejected from the vehicle and killed in the devastating crash. Police say that he did not appear to be wearing his seat belt. Syndey Smartt, though wearing her seat belt at the time of accident, was critically injured and taken to a Montgomery hospital for treatment.

A rising freshman at Greater Atlanta Christian, she was also a valuable player on her dad’s softball team, The Georgia Force. The team had just competed in a softball world series prior to the accident. Friends and family remain hopeful for Sydney’s recovery as they mourn the death of her father. As of Thursday morning, Sydney is off the ventilator and in "guarded condition," still unable to speak (due to pain) but able to gesture and understand when people speak to her.  She may be transferred to Scottish Rite in Atlanta upon improvement.

Our law firm handles serious accidents and catastrophic injuries. If you have been injured or lost a loved one in an accident due to another’s negligence or reckless driving, call 770-577-3020 for a free consultation.