Cartersville, GA : Funeral set for Cass junior who died in car accident on Friday, 19th August, 2016

Christian Xavier Austin was planning to attend Clemson University after he finished high school.
Instead, his family is planning his funeral.
The 16-year-old Cass High junior, who would’ve been 17 this Sunday, was killed Friday morning when the car in which he was a passenger veered off the road and crashed into a house on Old Grassdale Road.
The funeral will be Saturday at 2 p.m. in the chapel of Parnick Jennings Funeral Home and Cremation Services at 430 Cassville Road in Cartersville. The family will receive friends Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home as well as one hour before the service.
Christian, the son of Alicia Sutton and Kent Austin of Cartersville, was an A/B-average student who “loved Clemson University and had dreamed of attending there to study engineering,” his aunt, Michelle Holtzapple of Woodstock, said.
“Although not on any teams at school, he loved football and wrestling,” she said. “He also enjoyed listening to music and playing video games.”
The Canton native also was the kind of person that people wanted to befriend.
“His smile was infectious, and [his] laugh was contagious,” Holtzapple said. “He was a very confident, independent and caring young man with a heart of gold.”
“Christian was a fine young man with a bright future ahead of him,” Cass Principal Mike Nelson said. “He was involved and had many friends. He will be sorely missed at CHS.”
The family — which also includes Christian’s 11-year-old half brothers, Matthew Sutton, whom he cared for after school until his parents got home instead of working a part-time job, and Caleb Austin, who lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with his mother — is receiving a lot of support from Cass and the community, Holtzapple said.
“They are holding onto their faith and know they will see him again one day,” she said. “God has a reason, even though we do not see it now. They have received a lot of messages of kind words, thoughts and prayers from many, many students from Cass High and others in the community.”
Besides his parents, brothers and aunt, other surviving family members include his maternal grandmother, Gwendolyn Rhodes; his paternal grandparents, Mack and Ann Austin; his aunts and uncles, Kenny Holtzapple, Vanessa Hollingsworth, Jonathan Hollingsworth and Brad and Heather Austin; and his cousins, Alexis Rhodes Holtzapple, Kyle Holtzapple, Chessie Holtzapple, Carson Blake and Camrynn Austin.
The students at Cass had a difficult time Friday trying to make sense of the tragedy, according to Nelson.
“[The mood was] somber, with many questions as to why this happened,” he said. “Students are resilient. Obviously, many were upset, but as a Cass High family, we are leaning on each other. This is the second time already this school year we have been faced with this as a school. We have great students and staff members at CHS, and we always pull together in times such as this. That is what families do.”
Nelson was referring to the death of 17-year-old Christian Scrutchins, a junior football player and track athlete who drowned in Lake Allatoona just three weeks before the accident.
Christian’s family has had “a very trying year” so far, Holtzapple said.
“In January, our mother was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that caused her kidneys to fail, amongst other serious health issues,” she said. “My sister [Alicia] and I have missed a lot of work due to dialysis, doctor appointments, multiple surgeries and general care of her needs, which all leads us to very little savings and missed income.”
To pay for Christian’s funeral expenses, Holtzapple set up a GoFundMe page where anyone who wants to help can make a donation.
“We are a very proud family and really do not feel right asking for help, but I couldn't think of any other way to help with the cost of everything,” she said.
As of Tuesday evening, $4,400 of the $5,000 goal had been donated since the page was set up Friday. Donations have ranged from $5 to $500.
“The local Facebook community pages, along with many other individuals, continue to share the GoFundMe page,” Holtzapple said, noting she believes they will reach their goal. “The site has been shared through friends of friends, Cass students and local community pages. We have received a lot of prayers and donations from people we do not even know. We cannot thank everyone enough for all of their support through this very difficult time.”
Sutton posted an update on the page Monday.
“Hello everyone,” she wrote. “We are holding up the best we can. Just wanted to say thank you for all your donations and support. Love Alicia.”
She also left a comment right after the page was established.
“There are no words to explain what my family is going through,” she wrote. “I just want to say thank you to each and everyone of you. From the bottom of my heart your prayers and donations mean the world to me.”
To make a donation, go to www.gofundme.com/2ktvm6xe.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Safety crash report, the 2005 Toyota Corolla in which Christian was riding was headed south on Old Grassdale Road Friday at 8:24 a.m. when the 16-year-old male driver went off the right side of the road while “negotiating a curve.” After re-entering his lane, he went off the left side of the road “while rotating counterclockwise” and struck the house at 112 Old Grassdale Road with the right side of the car.
The driver and the back-seat passenger, 15-year-old Christopher Cunningham of Cartersville, were injured and transported to Cartersville Medical Center, where Christopher was treated and released, and the driver was transferred to WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
Information on whether the driver has been released from Kennestone was unavailable.
Christian, who was in the front seat, was killed.
The report also said the three teenagers, who were traveling from Cass to their classes at the Bartow County College and Career Academy, were wearing their seat belts, and the driver was not distracted.
Charges are pending against the driver, whose name was not released because he is a minor, a DPS spokeswoman said Friday.


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Funeral set for Cass junior who died in car accident