FLORENCE – This afternoon,the Florence Police Department released the identity of the person killed in the pre-dawn hours single-car accident on Highway 20. According to police the car, driven by an unidentified person who was admitted to ECM Hospital for his injuries, plunged into the ice-cold waters of Cypress Creek at 4:32 this morning. The reason as to why the vehicle left the road has not yet been determined.
This is what Officer Justin Wright reported to The Quad-Cities Daily:
“On 03/06/2015, at approximately 4:32 a.m., the Florence Police Department responded to a call for service regarding a person that had been involved in an accident on Highway 20 at the Cypress Creek bridge. The vehicle plunged into the water. An occupant still remained in the vehicle. When the police department responded to the scene of the accident, the vehicle was completely submerged. Countless officers and employees of the Florence Police Department, and employees from the Florence Fire Department worked tirelessly to access the vehicle. The Florence Police Department Dive Team recovered the body of twenty-nine year old Johnathon Heath Atkisson from the vehicle. The accident is currently under investigation. Further details may be released at a later date.” Officer Wright continued, “Also, I can confirm there was a second occupant in the vehicle who is not deceased. No further information, including the identity of said person, will be released pending the ongoing investigation.”
This is a photo of Atkisson:
Johnathan Heath Atkisson
