Bartow County I-75 crash: 21-year-old Cartersville resident to be buried Friday
Aimee Odom (Photos courtesy of Allyson Gray)
CARTERSVILLE, Ga. - The 21-year-old from Cartersville killed on May 19 in the multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 75 in Bartow County will be buried on Friday, May 24.
Aimee Odom was born in Rome and graduated from Cartersville High School, where she was involved with golf, basketball, track, and the yearbook. She was also a member of the Bartow/Etowah High School Civil Air Patrol, according to her obituary.
Odom was majoring in UX design at Kennesaw State University and held two part-time jobs at the time of her death—one at Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville and the other at Bentwater Golf Club in Acworth.
Odom loved to be around people of any age and was a beloved member of the Cartersville community. Aimee reportedly never met a stranger and to know her was to love her. She also loved to travel and learned to fly a plane before she could drive a car. Additionally, she liked to snow ski, fish, and ride horses.
Allyson Gray told FOX 5 Atlanta that Aimee was her best friend and she "truly was the warmest soul anyone would ever meet." Gray said that Odom meant the world to her and always would. Gray also said that even though Aimee wasn't blood, she was family, and her heart is absolutely shattered knowing she will never hear her laugh again.
Another close friend, McClain Knight, described Aimee as an "amazing person" who "always had a smile on her face no matter what."
Four people were killed in the crash on Sunday. It happened just before 6 p.m. near Red Top Mountain Road. According to the Georgia State Patrol, a Kia van was traveling north on the interstate when it left the roadway and entered the southbound lanes, hitting a Chevy Tahoe and a Toyota 4Runner. After the crash, the Kia and Toyota were hit by a commercial vehicle, and a Hyundai SUV hit the back of the Chevy.
RELATED: Victims of Sunday's multi-vehicle crash on I-75 in Bartow County identified
Odom, who was on her way to a graduation party, was driving the Toyota 4Runner. The other three victims were in the Kia van. They were also residents of Cartersville. Officials identified them as 43-year-old Dakari Mason, 35-year-old Erin Mason, and 14-year-old Brandon Crawford. Mason was a civil employee of the Holly Springs Police Department. Crawford was a student at Hamilton Crossing Elementary School.
Two other juveniles in the Kia, one adult and one juvenile in the Hyundai, and the driver of the Chevy Tahoe were also injured. They have not been identified.
A Celebration of Life service is being held for Odom at 11 a.m. on May 24 in the chapel of Owen Funeral Home. A livestream will be provided by the funeral home for those unable to attend. Interment will follow at Providence Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 4 to 8 p.m. on May 23.
Aimee is survived by her parents, aunts, uncle, cousins and others.