CANON, GA — October 9, 2026 Noel Hutchings, an 18-year-old from Cleveland, Georgia, was seriously injured Friday night in a fatal two-vehicle collision on U.S. Route 17 near Old Highway 17 in Canon, Franklin County, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
The crash occurred at approximately 11:45 p.m. when a Mazda 3 traveling northbound was struck by a Ford Escape moving south in the northbound lanes, authorities reported.
Hutchings was a passenger in the Mazda and sustained serious injuries. Emergency responders transported him to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville for treatment.
The Mazda’s 19-year-old driver, a resident of Demorest, died at the scene. The Ford Escape caught fire following the collision, and its driver also died at the scene. Authorities had not released the Ford driver’s identity in the initial report.
Troopers from Georgia State Patrol Post 52 in Hartwell responded to the collision near the intersection of U.S. Route 17 and Old Highway 17. The circumstances leading to the wrong-way vehicle entering the northbound lanes remain under investigation.
