MARIANNA — A Marianna man has died after seven months of being comatose from a three-wheeler crash, according to officials.
Gerald Handy Smith, 39, was taken to the Miller County Hospital in Georgia following a June 21 three-wheeler accident in Marianna. Smith remained in the Georgia hospital until he died Monday.
Smith was riding a 2001 Honda 400ex ATV east on Sunset Drive near Hall Street in Marianna at about 8:30 p.m. on June 21 when the crash happened, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. The light had diminished greatly in the area by that time and Smith, according to the crash report, was under the influence of drugs and alcohol, officers reported.
Officers said Smith was operating the ATV in a careless manner when he attempted to negotiate a curve and ran off the roadway going about 50 mph. Smith first struck a tree with the right front axle of the ATV, sending him and the three-wheeler airborne.
“From the evidence at the scene, the ATV and driver went airborne,” officers wrote in the crash report. “The driver landed 20 feet from the initial impact while the ATV struck another tree with enough force to leave an imprint of the rim on the tree approximately 6 feet off the ground.”
The ATV then landed on top of Smith, causing serious injuries to his chest, FHP reported. He was stabilized and taken to an area hospital but would not recover from his injuries.
Smith was not wearing a helmet, eye protection or any other restraints at the time of the crash, officers reported.
Funeral services for Smith are scheduled today at 11 a.m. in the M. Sue Rodney Pittman Memorial Chapel in Graceville. He will be buried at Orange Hill Cemetery in Marianna afterward.