Eighteen people have died in Cullman County wrecks so far this year, a trend that, if it continues, would see the number of traffic fatalities nearly double from 2016. 

On Friday, a young Vinemont couple, Racheal Kelley and Matthew Waid, both 24, were both killed when the 1991 Honda Civic Kelley was driving collided with a 1993 Chevrolet Silverado driven by William Farr, 69, of Cullman, according to Alabama State Troopers.

A 3-year-old child, who was riding in a child safety restraint, was also injured and reportedly transported to a Birmingham hospital. Neither Children’s Hospital nor UAB Hospital had information available about the child’s condition.

A GoFundMe page created by Melissa Pratt, the child’s god mother, said the boy was recovering at the hospital after surgery and would be in a halo for about two months. As of 7 p.m. Monday, $820 of the $15,000 goal had been raised.

The wreck also hurt three Fayetteville, Tennessee residents, including a 7-month-old baby, who were all taken to Cullman Regional. 

The deadly wreck followed another Thursday afternoon that killed Samantha Wilkerson, 27, of Lacey’s Spring. Her vehicle slammed head-on into an 18-wheeler that caught on fire in Vinemont on County Road 1435 (Eva Road).

Troopers said a preliminary investigation indicates that driving while texting with an electronic device may have been a factor in the crash.

Last year, 22 people died in Cullman County wrecks, up from 20 in 2015 and 19 in 2014, according to collision data compiled by the Alabama Department of Public Safety.

Driving under the influence was cited as the primary cause of three fatalities so far this year, with three others caused by speeding and two by aggressive driving. Motorists running a stop sign, ignoring a traffic light and being distracted by an electronic device were cited as the causes of three separate wrecks.

In five fatalities, alcohol or drugs was suspected by the investigating trooper, according to the state data. Most of those killed in local wrecks this year are under the age of 35, and many were in their 20s.

A study of 2016 traffic fatalities statewide found critical causes of more deaths included high speeds, lack of safety belts and more distracted drivers as well as pedestrians. Last year saw traffic fatalities to jump by 25 percent despite the total number of wrecks going up just 2 percent.

Troopers reported that as of Sunday, the agency had investigated 284 traffic deaths in 2017, with at least 133 of those killed not restrained.

You can view collision statistics by going online to https://safety.aladata.com.

Tiffeny Owens can be reached at 256-734-2131, ext. 135.