Motorist killed in Underground Atlanta crash - Atlanta Journal Constitution

By Mike Morris and John Spink

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A former member of Georgia State University men's soccer team was killed early Wednesday when he lost control of his car and crashed through the front of an Underground Atlanta ice cream parlor.

Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones said Timothy Nixon, 21, was southbound on Peachtree Street around 2:30 a.m. when, "for reasons unknown at this time," he lost control of his vehicle in a curve.

The car left the roadway, jumped a curb and struck two large planters and a trash can before coming to rest on its side inside the Haagen-Dazs store at the corner of Peachtree and Upper Alabama streets.

Jones said Nixon was trapped inside his car, and had to be extricated. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he later died.

Randy Lieberman, spokesman for Georgia State's men's soccer team, confirmed to the AJC that Nixon was a senior midfielder on the 2011-2012 team.

"We are devastated by this incredible tragedy, and our hearts go out to Tim's parents, Diane and Gary, and his family and friends," Georgia State men's soccer head coach Brett Surrency said in a statement released by the athletic department.

"The Georgia State soccer family has lost a treasured friend and teammate," said Surrency, who was on a recruiting trip when he learned of the wreck. "Tim was immensely popular with his teammates, a player and person that everyone was drawn to. I'm at a loss for words."

Associate Athletic Director Allison George told the AJC that the finance major had completed his soccer eligibility last season, and was completing coursework and was scheduled to graduate this fall.

According to the team's website, Nixon, who was from Bristol, England, graduated from South Forsyth High School and played collegiate soccer at East Tennessee State University before transferring to Georgia State.

The ice cream store suffered significant damage in the wreck.

"It did extensive damage," said Del Amin, who has owned the store for 14 years. "Virtually all the equipment is gone, all the glasswork is shattered."

The building also apparently sustained structural damage, Amin said.

"All my cabinets, electrical, the plumbing, that's all been damaged," he said.