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Manatee Assistant Coach Killed in Car Accident

Doug Garrity, a 27-year-old teacher and coach with Braden River High School, was killed in a one-vehicle accident last week.  The head football coach for the high school, Josh Hunter, was driving at the time of the fatal crash.

Police are still looking into the details of the accident that flipped Hunter’s truck at 11:50 PM Saturday night on northbound State Road 681 near the junction with Interstate 75.  Florida Highway Patrol said that Hunter lost control of his truck when he was attempting to negotiate a curve and swerved from one side of the road to the other, which ultimately caused his truck to spin and flip over.

Garrity was ejected from the vehicle as it turned over.  According to Florida Highway Patrol, Garrity was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash and he was the only passenger to suffer injuries.

“We’re shocked and deeply saddened at the loss of one of our close associates,” said Margi Nanney, spokeswoman for Manatee County schools.

Garrity had been with the school for the past two years and taught struggling students in the school’s dropout prevention program in addition to coaching football and weightlifting.

Grief counselors were scheduled to be available to students at the high school.  Hunter was not expected to be at school on Monday.

Florida Highway Patrol is still trying to determine if alcohol played a factor in the fatal accident.

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