BLOUNT COUNTY, Ala. — A 17-year-old Blount County woman has died following a head-on collision that happened Friday night, leaving behind a husband who had only just celebrated one month of marriage.
Kortni Ferrell was driving on County Road 27 near County Road 24 when her vehicle collided head-on with another car, according to Alabama state troopers. Ferrell died at the scene. Two adults and two children in the other vehicle were also injured. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency says the crash remains under investigation.
Ferrell’s husband, Benny Ferrell, learned of the crash while away at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he is currently in basic training. He said the news came from his military commanders and that he sat in stunned silence for several minutes after hearing it.
According to Benny, Kortni had been debating whether to go to work that night because of the heavy rain. Family members encouraged her to stay home, but she went in anyway after learning her workplace, a local McDonald’s, was short-staffed.
A Marriage Full of Plans
The couple had been building a future together and talked often about the life they hoped to share once Benny finished his military training. Their plans included buying land, building a home, and traveling the world together, with stops in Hawaii, Fiji, and Japan among the destinations they dreamed of visiting.
Benny says he intends to carry out those plans in her memory, calling it something he now feels is his responsibility to finish for her.
Kortni was in her senior year of high school and was being homeschooled at the time of her death.
Community Support Grows
As Benny returns home to bury his wife and grieve away from training, friends and family have stepped in to help cover the unexpected costs. A GoFundMe campaign organized by family friend Paige Charles has raised over five hundred dollars toward a five-thousand-five-hundred-dollar goal, with donations going toward funeral costs, daily expenses, and the time Benny will lose from his military training.
The fundraiser describes Kortni as a bright, funny, and loving young woman known for her smile and asks supporters to keep the family in their thoughts as they navigate the loss.
Contributions can also be sent directly to Lemley Funeral Home in Oneonta, Alabama, which is handling arrangements.
Family members are also asking the public to remember and pray for the others hurt in the crash, including members of the Engleman and Hardin families.
No further details on the crash investigation have been released.
