Hiwassee Dam brothers die in June 25 crash
Two Hiwassee Dam, North Carolina, brothers died following a single-vehicle accident Thursday, June 25.
Austin Hawkins, 18, and Avery Hawkins, 16, were pronounced dead at the scene after a 1999 Toyota Tacoma, driven by Matthew Henry Bateman, 20, of Turtletown, Tennessee, crashed into a telephone pole, according to the North Carolina Highway Patrol (NCHP).
The three were traveling eastbound on North Carolina Highway 294 around 10 p.m. when Bateman lost control of his truck.
Hiwassee Dam Fire Chief Chad McNabb said the wreck happened near Fields of the Wood, about three miles inside North Carolina from the Tennessee state line.
NCHP reported that the truck traveled across road lanes several times before leaving the roadway and striking a fence and several trees before ultimately hitting the telephone pole.
The truck was found upside down, and the cause of the wreck remains under investigation.
No further information was available from the NCHP.
Bateman was hospitalized with serious injuries as of The News Observer’s press time Monday.
Austin was a recent 2020 graduate of Hiwassee Dam High School, and Avery was a member of the rising junior class.
The Hawkins brothers are survived by their father, Kevin Hawkins of Murphy, North Carolina and mother, Monica Rose Parker and step-father, Dustin, of Hayesville, North Carolina.
In addition to their parents, they are also survived by their sister, Raylynn Parker; step-sisters, Alexis and Emily Parker; step-brothers, Dustin and Nicholas Parker;
Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Wanda Bailey of Hiwassee Dam; paternal grandparents, Richard and Linda Hawkins of Hiwassee Dam; aunt, Michelle Chastain and husband, Tim of Murphy; uncle, Justin Sharpe and family of Murphy, and many cousins and friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made in their memory to an account set up at United Community Bank under the Hawkins Brothers Memorial Fund. Those who wish to do so can make a deposit at any local branch.
(Editor’s note: Penny Ray of The Cherokee Scout in Murphy, North Carolina, provided part of the information for this developing story).