By Glenn Harbison, News-Observer Publisher — A 22-year-old graduate student at the University of Alabama from Greenville, S.C., was tragically killed in a remote section of Fannin County this past weekend.
Malachi Crain lost his life when a tree fell on him at a campsite near Panther Creek Falls in the Cohutta Wilderness.
Fannin County Fire/Rescue Chief Larry Thomas said the tree that fell on the victim “was not a hazardous tree (but) a large tree with buds.” It had uprooted from its location.
Fannin County Coroner Becky Callihan said Crain was camping with a group of friends when the accident occurred. Another camper received a slight ankle injury.
The remote campsite was approximately 4 miles inside the wilderness area of the Chattahoochee National Forest.
Rescuers entered the location through Three Forks, Thomas said. Once they arrived, it was determined the victim had died at the scene.
Due to the remote location, Crain’s body was flown to the Fannin County Fire Department’s landing zone in Cashes Valley by a Georgia Department of Natural Resources helicopter. There, Deputy Coroner Felicia Folds officially pronounced the victim deceased.
The injured camper was also flown to the same landing zone and transported to Blue Ridge Medical Center where he was treated and released, Callihan said.
Rescue personnel were dispatched to the area at 2:12 a.m. Saturday, April 5, and the last rescuers finished the operation at 1:37 p.m., almost 12 hours later.
Crain’s Facebook page said he was a master’s degree student double majoring in computer science and math. He was scheduled to graduate in 2026.