Leeds is in deep mourning after a deadly wrong-way crash on Interstate 65 in Pelham took the lives of April Ballard, 37, of Leeds, and Jesse Southard, 20, of Birmingham.
The Shelby County Coroner’s Office confirmed that the crash happened early Friday morning, around 3 a.m. Ballard was driving a truck southbound when her vehicle entered the northbound lanes of I-65.
Her truck collided head-on with a 2012 Honda Accord driven by Jesse Southard. The impact was severe and immediate, leaving both drivers fatally injured.
Emergency responders arrived quickly at the scene, but both Ballard and Southard were pronounced dead where the crash occurred. Officials described the damage as catastrophic.
The crash forced authorities to shut down the northbound lanes of I-65 between the Tank Farm exit and the Oak Mountain State Park exit for several hours. Traffic was heavily backed up while crews worked through the early morning.
News of Ballard’s death spread quickly through Leeds, where friends and family described her as warm, familiar, and deeply loved. Many said the loss feels sudden and hard to process.
Investigators are still working to determine how Ballard’s vehicle entered the wrong direction. No official cause has been released, and the case remains under active investigation.
As both families grieve, the community continues to lean on each other for support, trying to come to terms with a crash that ended two young lives far too soon.
