Former wrestling star killed in jet ski accident, Alabama cops say. ‘Fine young man’

Irene Wright
·2 min read
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One man was killed and another injured during a jet ski accident on an Alabama lake, law enforcement authorities said.

Daegen Vaughn, 19, and Mason Sterner, 22, were riding on a jet ski on Weiss Lake near Cedar Bluff on May 20, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency told McClatchy News in an email.

Around 10:30 p.m., the 2021 Yamaha WaveRunner, driven by Vaughn, ran aground, authorities said, crashing into a tree on land.

Vaughn was declared dead at the scene and Sterner was taken to a Georgia hospital with injuries, authorities said.

Vaughn, a graduate of Trion High School in Georgia, was remembered as a high school wrestling “star” and football player, according to SNBC13.com.

“Lost a member of the 2021 football and wrestling teams,” neighboring high school Chattooga Indian Football said in a Facebook post. “Daegan was such a fine young man. He was a team player who did whatever was asked of him and he always supported his teammates!!! Proud to have had the opportunity to coach Dago.”

Vaughn won more than 100 matches in high school, making him a “standout” in Georgia wrestling, AllOnGeorgia reported, and his team placed second at the state championship in 2019.

Rhonda Williams, an English teacher at Trion High School, said Vaughn helped her have “one of my all time favorite school years,” according to a Facebook post.

“I am so saddened by this loss but so happy for the memories I have of this precious young man, D aegan Vaughn,” she wrote.

Vaughn’s mother, Taylen Vaughn, shared a photo of her son on Facebook that was taken just hours before the accident.

“If I could go back I would hold you tight and never would (have) let you go,” she wrote. “I love you so much baby boy. My life will never be the same without you in it.”

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency told McClatchy News it is still investigating the crash.

Vaughn and Sterner were residents of Summerville, Georgia, about 90 miles northwest of Atlanta.

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