"Logan and Jakob were entirely inseparable,” a relative said of 25-year-old Jakob Hogan Tapley
Credit: Thomas C. Strickland and Sons Funeral Home
NEED TO KNOW
- Two best friends died after a tree fell on a pickup truck following heavy rains in Middle Georgia on Friday, June 19
- The two others in the front of the truck were transported to a hospital with injuries
- “It’s really a freak accident result of nature,” Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said
Two young men are dead and two others are injured after a tree fell onto a pickup truck in Middle Georgia following days of severe rain.
On the morning of Friday, June 19, around 6:15 a.m. local time, four men were riding in a truck along Pea Ridge Road near Highway 441 in Putnam County when a massive oak tree suddenly uprooted and fell onto the vehicle, CBS affiliate WMAZ, ABC affiliate WJCL and Fox affiliate WGXA reported.
“An oak tree along the wooded area on the side of the road just suddenly fell, crushed the entire top of the cab, and the two passengers in the back seat were basically killed instantly,” Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills told WMAZ.
The two men in the backseat of the truck were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the outlets. The driver and the front-seat passenger were transported to a hospital in Macon.
The victims have been identified as 24-year-old Logan Christopher Deal and 25-year-old Jakob Hogan Tapley of Ellabell, Ga., Putnam County Coroner Hollis Harrison confirms to PEOPLE.
The tragic incident comes after the region has been experiencing storms and heavy rainfall. Sills told WMAZ that, despite tornado warnings, there have been no recent tornadoes in Putnam County. Instead, the intense rain drenched the soil and caused trees to fall on properties and roads in the region.
"It's really a freak accident result of nature," the sheriff told the outlet. "The tree wasn't rotten; it was a healthy tree. Oak trees, especially, they have very shallow roots."
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Timothy Thompson Jr., Tapley’s cousin, told WJCL that the two men who died were incredibly close and enjoyed going to comic-cons and gaming.
“What was truly special about the two of them was their bond with each other. Logan and Jakob were entirely inseparable,” he told the outlet. “They did everything together in life. It breaks my heart that they are gone. They were incredible guys, the best friends anyone could ask for, and they leave behind a family that loves them beyond words.”
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In a tribute on social media, Gov. Brian P. Kemp also remembered the two victims.
“Marty, the girls, and I are saddened by the loss of these two young men in the wake of last night’s storms,” he wrote on Friday. “Our prayers are with their families, and with their friends still recovering.”
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