Colquitt County community mourns after accident kills one child, injures another

October 26, 2018

COLQUITT COUNTY, Ga. (WCTV) -- A community is still mourning after a car hit two young boys walking to their school bus.

Georgia State Patrol says it happened before daybreak on Thigpen Trail, just north of Hamilton Elementary.

Noah Palmer, 10, was hit by the car's front left side and died hours later.

Dylan Wolfe, 7, was hit by the car's right side mirror. The investigating trooper says he's doing better, but still fighting for his life.

"The family is pretty upset about this, as you can imagine with a child," says John VanLandingham, GSP Post 12 Commander.

The driver, Monica Cutts, is being charged with first degree vehicular homicide and other charges.

Cutts also agreed to give blood samples, which are being sent off to a crime lab.

"We'll be checking cell phone records and conducting search warrants to see what exactly happened at the time of the crash. We want to know was the driver distracted, were they looking at a phone, or did they just have their mind in different places," said VanLandingham.

GSP is also conducting a separate investigation into the driver's personal background. They say Cutts, a Tallahassee resident, had a suspended license at the time of the accident.

Friends of the family have started a fundraiser to help pay for the surviving brother's medical expenses. You can find the website by

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October 25, 2018

COLQUITT COUNTY, Ga. (WCTV) -- The Georgia State Patrol says two children were hit by a car at a school bus stop in Colquitt County this morning and one of the children has passed away at the hospital.

Officials say the two young boys were boarding their school bus when another driver failed to stop for the bus, which had its lights flashing and stop arm extended.

Colquitt County Schools Superintendent Doug Howell says the incident happened on Thigpen Trail near Hamilton Elementary School, where the boys attended school. The posted speed limit in the area is 55 miles per hour.

Superintendent Howell said the boys were brothers, one in first grade and the other in fifth grade.

One of the boys was airlifted to a hospital in Tallahassee and the other child was airlifted to a hospital in Macon.

We’re told that the child who was taken to Macon succumbed to his injuries. The other child suffered serious injuries.

The Georgia State Patrol and Colquitt County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene and took the driver of the car into custody.

The driver has been identified by GSP as 25-year-old Monica Cutts, of Tallahassee.

Cutts was initially charged with a school bus stop violation, serious injury caused by a vehicle, and driving with a suspended license. Cutts was booked into the Colquitt County Jail.

Troopers say because the crash is now fatal, additional charges are pending.

Authorities have not yet released the boys' names.