Wreck Claims Lives of Sisters

The community is mourning the loss of teenage sisters Haley and Desirae Cannon in a car vs. semitruck accident on Tuesday, March 8, on the outskirts of Lyons.

According to law enforcement, the Cannon sisters were traveling on Five Points Road and approaching U.S. Highway 1 around 4:16 p.m. Upon reaching the intersection, the car which Desirae, 18, was driving turned onto the highway and into the path of a semitruck driven by Ronald Shorter.

Shorter was traveling north on the roadway, causing him to hit the driver’s car door. The girls sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. Shorter was not injured.

The Georgia State Patrol Post 19, which is located in Reidsville, responded to the wreck along with the Toombs County continued from page

Sheriff’s Department, Toombs- Montgomery EMS, and other agencies. The investigation was turned over to the GSP upon its arrival, and the closure of the highway lasted for several hours.

Desirae was a senior at Toombs County High School, while her younger sister Haley, 14, was a member of the eighth grade class at Toombs County Middle School. Both Cannon girls were active in extracurricular activities in their schools. Desirae served as a state Vice President of the Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).

A statement posted by Toombs County Schools said, “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the tragic loss of two of our students. Please be in prayer for the family, as well as our schools and community during this time.”

Counselors have been on campus at the Toombs County Middle and High Schools to help students to cope with the loss.

The Cannon sisters were the daughters of John and Jennifer Cannon, and the granddaughters of John and Tricia Kirkland, all of Toombs County, and Rickey Cannon of McRae-Helena, and Jeanette Cannon and Thomas Duncan of Baxley. They were preceded in death by their maternal grandmother, Patricia “Pat” Kirkland.

The funeral for the sisters was held Friday, March 11, at Ronald V. Hall Funeral Home with burial at Lakeview Memorial Gardens. Pastor Clyde Fowler officiated.

Desirae Cannon

Haley Cannon