Speegle among 3 fatally injured in crash near Robertsdale; wife critical
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians community was saddened by the Sunday, June 18, death of Chief Financial Officer Tim Speegle, who was one of three people killed in a multi-vehicle crash near Robertsdale.
According to Robertsdale Police Department reports, David Colburn, 60, whose city of residence was not listed, was driving a black Trailblazer south on the Baldwin Beach Express when he rear-ended a black pickup, causing it to cross the median into northbound traffic. The pickup then hit a white GMC Yukon driven by Speegle.
The 64-year-old accountant was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His wife, Jeanna, was also in the Yukon. Reports are that she was critically injured and remained hospitalized late Monday, June 19.
“As many of you may have learned, Tim Speegle, our CFO, was tragically killed in an auto accident on Sunday,” reads a statement issued jointly by the members of PCI’s Tribal Council on Monday. “Like so many others who were lucky to know Tim, we are grieving his passing and we are praying for his much-loved wife, Jeanna, who sustained critical injuries in the accident and remains hospitalized.”
The council members referred to Speegle as “a good man, through and through.” They noted he was “generous, smart, funny and deeply committed to our Tribe and its success,” a man who “could be counted on in the worst of times to do the right thing and to make good decisions.”
According to Speegle’s LinkedIn page, he had been the Tribal CFO since October 2015.
Tribal Council members said the impact of Speegle’s financial decision-making would be long-lasting.
“Tim’s contributions to the Poarch community will be felt for generations to come and we hope that his and Jeanna’s children, grandchildren, mothers and extended family find some comfort in that,” the statement reads.
Christie Lowe, 47, and her daughter Margaret, 19, both of Pelham, were in the pickup and were pronounced dead at the scene. Police said five people — two adults and three children — were in the pickup at the time of the crash. Two of the children were also injured.
Colburn was charged with driving under the influence and three counts of manslaughter in connection to the fatal crash. According to WKRG television news, his bond was set at $50,000 for each manslaughter count and an additional $10,000 for the DUI charge.