Georgia high school teacher killed in traffic accident with students from her school en route to chaperone prom

A Georgia high school teacher driving to chaperone the school prom died after a car carrying two students who were also en route to the school dance crashed into her vehicle on Saturday night, according to reports.

Leah O’Brien, 33, a science teacher at Lakeside High School in the Atlanta suburb of Decatur, was commuting with her 8-year-old daughter and executing an eastward turn at roughly 6 p.m. when the teens’ car hit hers from the opposite direction, Decatur police officials told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

O’Brien died at the scene, and her young child is in critical but stable condition, the newspaper reported. The two unidentified students, a 19-year-old male and 18-year-old woman, were hospitalized with non-life threatening conditions, according to WXIA-TV.

Law enforcement officials continue to investigate the accident, the Journal-Constitution reported.

 

Lakeside principal Jason Clyne called the tragic accident “beyond my comprehension” in an interview with WSB-TV.

“She was always smiling,” Clyne told the local TV station. “She was always very enthusiastic and quick to jump and help out when we needed help.”

Members of the community who knew O’Brien took to WSB-TV’s Facebook page to express their shock and dismay at the five-year educator’s death after Dekalb County School District officials confirmed the victim’s identity on Sunday.

“She was like my second mom," one commenter wrote. "I love you, and you will always be in my heart. This really hurts."

“Ms. O'Brien, I can't believe you're gone,” another Facebook user said. “I love you so much, you made such an impact on my life. Without you and your advice I would have never made it through my troubles. I'm just trying to remember our talks and trying to get through this.”

School officials told WSB they would have grief counselors on hand at the school on Monday.