High school football star, 17, is killed in horror smash with semi truck while driving with four of his siblings on Georgia highway
- John Holsonback was in a car with four of his five siblings when it was hit by a semi-truck near the family’s home in Epworth
- He attended Fannin Country High with his siblings and the school held an emotional candlelight vigil for their young football star
- Brother Benjamin and Sister Sarah were hospitalized in the crash but recovered to attend their brother’s funeral
A school community in Georgia is struggling to recover after one of its football stars died in a car crash that left his brother and sister in the hospital.
Hundreds attended a candlelight vigil at Fannin Country High School after 17-year-old John Holsonback was fatally injured while traveling with four of his five siblings.
The family who run a flooring business in Blue Ridge were reportedly on vacation when their car was hit by a semi-truck outside their hometown of Epworth.
Teammates and coaching staff from the Fannin County Rebels Football Team served as honorary pallbearers for John, and the school paid tribute to the family with a Facebook post that read: “Yesterday. Today. Every day. We are Fannin.’
John Holsonback, 17, was a star of the high school football team in Blue Ridge and treasurer of Maple Grove Baptist Church
John with his siblings Hannah, Elisabeth, Sarah, Luke and Benjamin. Four of the five were in the car at the time of the fatal semi-truck crash on April 1
Brothers John and Luke in an award photo posted by their high school
“We came together as a school and as a community,” teacher Joe Breeden wrote.
“People shared memories and stories of a fine young man.
“This family has suffered a terrible loss. Unspeakable. Heartbreaking.
“They have instilled faith and values in their children for as long as anyone who spoke at tonight’s meeting can remember.”
John’s sister Sarah and brother Benjamin were taken to the hospital in Augusta, where they spent three days before being released after the crash on April 1.
Sarah and brother Luke both attend the deceased boy’s school, where their mother Melissa is on staff.
More than $56,000 has been raised for the family by a gofundme appeal filed April 2 by family friend Jessica Grostic.
“Tragedy struck the Holsonback family when five of the six children were in a devastating accident with a truck while they were out of town,” she wrote.
“Unfortunately, one of the children, a junior at FCHS, did not survive. Two other children are currently in stable condition and being treated at a hospital in Augusta.
‘Your help is urgently needed to support the family with funeral costs for their son John, as well as medical and travel expenses.’
Two days later, she reported that Benjamin and Sarah were in stable condition and that parents Melissa and Mark wanted to “thank everyone for the prayers and support of our wonderful community.”
John Harrison, who runs a rival local flooring company, paid tribute to the “amazing family” who suffered the tragedy.
The young athlete was described as a ‘fine young man’ by one of his teachers
“If anyone deserves help, it’s this family, and this family needs our help right now,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Our business, the flooring industry, is made up of a tight-knit group of store owners, competitive sellers, competitive manufacturers, and competitive distributors.
‘But regardless of our position in the industry, we are actually one big family.’
John’s siblings were released from the hospital on April 6, and Benjamin recovered sufficiently to act as a pallbearer at his brother’s funeral on April 11.