Wreck results in fourth Etowah County traffic fatality in one day

A one-car accident claimed the life of a Boaz woman tonight, bringing the total number of people killed in traffic accidents today in Etowah County to four.

Deputy Coroner Michael Head said Joanie Patterson, 24, died as a result of an accident at 6:15 p.m. on Sand Valley Road in Attalla.

Patterson was a passenger in a 2007 Ford Focus that was travelling down the road "at a high rate of speed," Head said. The driver apparently lost control of the car, which left the roadway and traveled approximately 150 feet before striking a tree.

The driver was carried to a local hospital and is not believed to have life-threatening injuries, Head said.

Patterson's body will be taken to Huntsville for an autopsy.

Earlier today, three people died as a result of an early morning traffic accident, also in Attalla.