By Joe Johnson
A teenager from Cherokee County was critically injured early Sunday morning when he apparently fell from the fourth floor of a parking deck in downtown Athens.
According to a police report, a witness reported at 2:40 a.m. that he saw 18-year-old Tyler Douthit fall from the parking facility at 125 W. Washington St.
A responding officer found the teen lying at the bottom of stairs near the deck’s entrance, where the witness said he saw Douthit land against the stairway’s railing, according to the report.
Security reportedly told the officer that there was someone with the teen just before he fell, and video surveillance footage showed someone running from the parking deck at around the time of the fall.
Douthit was transported by ambulance to Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center, where he reportedly remained in the intensive care unit.
The incident was being investigated by the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.
“We are looking into the circumstances that led to this event,” Lt. Shaun Barnett said. “However, at this time there are no obvious signs of foul play.”
According to his mother’s Facebook postings, Douthit was a senior at Woodstock High School who in December won a scholarship to play football at Samford University in Alabama.