SUMMERDALE, Alabama — Two more Baldwin County teenagers lost their lives on Alabama roadways in two separate accidents on Sunday, one in Daphne and one in western Escambia County.
According to a release issued Monday by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Garrett D. Phillips, 18, of Robertsdale, was killed when he fell from the bed of a 2002 Toyota Tacoma, driven by 19-year-old William D. Ray of Robertsdale, traveling on Kent Road shortly after midnight on Sunday, Aug. 30.
According to published reports, Daphne police are investigating the death of 18-year-old Terrance Muse, a 2020 Daphne High School graduate, who was killed in a single vehicle crash on Park Drive around 2 p.m. Sunday.
Muse was listed as a defensive back for the Trojans. There was a post on the Daphne High School Football page asking for prayers.
Both Muse and Phillips have GoFundMe pages established to with funeral expenses.
Phillips is being remembered as a good athlete and student who was always willing to give his all and served as a mentor to younger students.
“Garrett was like a son to me,” said Lee Wilson, former head coach/athletic director at Central Baldwin Middle School.
Wilson said Phillips played football under him at CBMS in seventh and eighth grade. He was also a member of the CBMS track team. Wilson was also his seventh-grade history teacher.
“He worked hard in the classroom and on the field,” Wilson said. “I loved talking to him. He would call or text and I would call him back and we would talk a long time about everything that was going on in his life.”
Wilson said he and Phillips talked not more than a week ago and he was excited about the upcoming season.
“He will be deeply missed, and my heart goes out to his family,” Wilson said.
Phillips was a member of the 2017 and 2018 varsity football teams at Snook Christian Academy, leading the team to its first-ever AISA Class 1 victory as a quarterback early in the season, rushing for 230 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns in the Eagles 45-28 victory over Sparta Christian on Sept. 7, 2018.
He also helped the team to a 45-42 victory over Abbeville Christian on Oct 12 that year, giving the Eagles their first-ever playoff berth. Phillips had 94 yards on nine carries in the game. He rushed for one touchdown and caught a pass for another from the tight-end position. He also played outside linebacker for the Eagles.
“He had some injuries that last season, but played through the pain and never complained,” said Eagles Head Coach Keith Smith. “He was one of those types of kids that gave you everything he had. It’s just a sad situation to think about how much he could have contributed to society.”
Snook Christian Head of School Thad Butts said Phillips was a great student, both on the field and in the classroom.
“He was always respectful and always willing to do whatever needed to be done,” Butts said. “He was just what I would call an All-American kid. He was hard working and never quit, especially in sports.”
Butts said Phillips also served as a mentor to the younger athletes and younger students at Snook.
“He never looked down on them or treated them like he was too good for them,” Butts said. “He was just always there for the younger students.”
Christina Martin, a family friend, described him as a loving child who grew into a handsome young man.
“I loved him like he was my own,” she said. “He was the light of his mom’s eyes. He loved his brother, and was such a good role model. He was loved by so many, and will be greatly missed.”
Visitation for Phillips will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Robertsdale Assembly of God. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Wynn Cemetery in Summerdale with the Rev. Michael Lynn officiating. Lunch will follow at the church.
Sunday’s two deaths follow two car crashes in Baldwin County which claimed the lives of four teenagers.
Most recently in July, Dalton DeFilippi, 16, a rising junior at Daphne High School, was killed when the 2009 Nissan Xterra he was driving left the roadway and struck a tree on County Road 54, approximately 4 miles east of Alabama 181 between Silverhill and the Belforest Community east of Daphne.
In June three teenagers were killed in a single-vehicle accident on County Road 39 in the Crossroads community near Bay Minette.
