Alexander City, AL : Alex City animal control officer killed in car wreck on Highway 22 East Monday morning, December 14, 2015

One of Alex City's well-known and beloved animal control officers has died.

Kelly Cotney, 36, and a 7-year-old passenger were involved in a car wreck in Cotney's personal vehicle Monday morning.

Cotney died Monday night at UAB Hospital in Birmingham.

Alex City police say the crash happened on Highway 22 East Monday morning just a few miles from town. The weather was bad and heavy rains were falling.

Cotney's car hydroplaned and was t-boned by a big service truck.

The 7-year-old passenger was also critically injured in the crash. The little girl is the daughter of Cotney's boyfriend. She is being treated at Children's of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham.

Cotney was the face of the Alex City Animal Control Division in recent years.

The most recent story WSFA 12 News did with Cotney was in the summer. It was a story on the growing nuisance of coyotes in one neighborhood.

"She was an excellent employee, a good employee. She was really dedicated to her job and had a lot of passion for what she was doing. She loved animals," said Alex City Police Chief Willie G. Robinson.

Sgt. Ken Vernon, who is in charge of animal control, says Cotney was by far the best animal control officer he had seen, a person with a real passion for animals and someone who played a major role in gaining dozens of convictions in animal abuse cases. Cotney came on board seven years ago.

"We were working on getting her animal control and national animal cruelty investigator certification and she wasn't far from that," Vernon said.

Police say the service truck driver was not injured in the crash but was shaken up at the scene.

Cotney leaves behind two children.

Source :

Alex City animal control officer dies after vehicle crash