Father, son dead after tree hits their golf cart during storm in Georgia, coroner says

USA Today

07-04-2025

Father, son dead after tree hits their golf cart during storm in Georgia, coroner says
A Georgia father and son who sought refuge under a tree during a storm Sunday evening were killed when the tree fell on their golf cart, according to officials.
Matthew Terrell Collins Sr., 58, and Matthew Terrell Collins Jr., 29, were at the Bull Creek Golf Course in Columbus when they were hit and killed, Muscogee County Coroner Buddy Bryan confirmed to USA TODAY Monday morning.
They were pronounced dead at 6:06 p.m. on Sunday, Bryan said.
A "violent storm" passed through the area between 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. or so that afternoon, Bryan said. The men were seeking refuge under the tree when it snapped and fell down on their golf cart.
Bryan said his team has ruled the death accidental, due to blunt force trauma or "crushed trauma."
The coroner's office investigates over 1,200 deaths a year. The ones that take place on golf courses are mostly due to lightning hitting trees, then traveling to the ground and hitting people.
"It's extremely rare as far as being crushed like that," Bryan said.
What was the weather like that day?
According to Bryan, the golf course was open because it's normal for people to golf on Sundays.
"We knew that storms were going to be coming in and it was forecast that day, but this one came out of nowhere," he told USA TODAY. "It was a little sprinkle and then within one minute it became extremely violent.'
Meredith Wyatt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, said Monday morning that Sunday was "quite an active day" weather-wise. Weather officials called for severe weather such as a "strong line of thunderstorms associated with a cold front moving through" the area.
"The cold front stalled, or as it was moving through, it just kind of stopped, and there wasn't really anything to progress that system completely through our area," Wyatt told USA TODAY. "Many locations in North and central Georgia experienced waves of heavy rainfall … frequent lightning, heavy downpours and things of that nature."
When asked what kind of reports the weather service has received so far due to the storm, she said the team is still gathering data as of Monday morning.
Father and son close with each other, loved ones say
GoFundMe fundraiser organizer Dustin Longnion shared online that Matthew Jr. was close to his father.
"They were spending time together when the storm struck—sharing a moment between father and son that would unknowingly become their last," Longnion wrote, adding that Matthew Jr. was "a loyal friend, a kindhearted soul, and someone who always showed up for the people in his life."
"He shared a deep bond with his father, and losing both of them so suddenly is a devastating blow to everyone who knew and loved them," wrote Longnion.
As of Monday afternoon, the fundraiser has garnered over $13,000 of its $20,000 goal.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp offered condolences to the family Sunday evening on social media.
"Marty, the girls, and I are saddened by the tragic deaths of two Georgians in Muscogee County today as a result of the severe weather," he wrote on Facebook. "We ask that you join us in keeping their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers, along with all those responding to storm damage."
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at [e-mail].