'Now they are finally reunited': DeKalb family loses second son to traffic crash
U.S. Marine Dawson Lasseter was home on leave, spending what had to be a difficult holiday with family members still grieving the loss in April of his younger brother, Harley Lasseter, killed when his motorcycle was struck from behind by a driver who left the scene on Alabama Highway 75.
The Lasseter family and their friends were plunged into grief anew on New Year's Day, when Dawson was killed in a crash in Albertville.
"Harley and Dawson both were two of the most selfless boys, ever," sister Aliyah Martin said. "They would have given the clothes off their backs to anyone in need. Both boys could light up an entire room as soon as they walked into it. Both could also have you laughing uncontrollably.
"Harley always wanted to be just like Dawson," she recalled. "Harley was so proud for Dawson to be in the Marine Corps. They loved with their whole heart, and always fought for what they believed in and their family.
"Now they are finally reunited," Martin said.
"They were good boys," said Jennifer Mayo, Dawson's mother-in-law.
Her daughter, Hailey, married Dawson almost a year ago, she said, and they had been a couple for a year before that. So, Hailey was already a member of the family when tragedy struck in April.
Harley, 14, was killed on April 2, 2022. Tyler Blaise Wilbanks, 23, of Sylvania was arrested days later on a charge of manslaughter in connection with the crash and entered a not guilty plea on Nov. 3. A trial date of April 10 has been set for him.
Harley was a student at Geraldine High School, and he played on the Bulldog football team's offensive and defensive lines.
"He didn't deserve anything that happened to him," Mayo said. "Dawson was a grieving brother."
Dawson, 18, was killed in a crash in the 300 block of Hambrick Street in Albertville, according to a Facebook post from the Marshall County Coroner's Office early Monday morning. Albertville police are investigating the cause of the crash, according to the coroner's office.
Dawson was stationed at 29 Palms Marine Base, Mayo said, but was home from California on leave.
Hailey was in the Air Force and is in the National Guard. Mayo said she was supposed to have drill this coming weekend, but Guard leadership "is taking care of her."
Dawson was a former Crossville High School student. In addition to his loss, the Crossville community suffered another tragedy during the holiday weekend.
Another crash in Marshall County, on Alabama Highway 168 near Pack Road east of Boaz Sunday night, claimed the life of a 17-year-old, whose identity has not been released because of his age. A post on Crossville High School's Facebook page indicated that the victim was a senior at the DeKalb County school.
The school in a Facebook post announced that because of the tragedies, scheduled basketball games at Valley Head High School have been postponed and will be rescheduled.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: US Marine's traffic death comes 9 months after that of brother, 14
