GRENEVILLE, Tenn. — A 19-year-old Canadian freshman at Tusculum University died Friday evening after a single-vehicle crash on Old Tusculum Road. The victim, identified as Payton Cook from Alberta, was a member of the school’s lacrosse team.
The crash occurred just before 6:00 p.m. on Nov. 5, in the 2300-block of Old Tusculum Road, near a curve by Oak Grove Free Will Baptist Church. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP), the 2018 Honda Pilot veered off the right side of the roadway, traveled roughly 80 feet down an embankment, and struck a tree before coming to rest.
Cook was riding as a passenger in the vehicle; the driver — an 18-year-old also from Canada — survived. Investigators say the driver was treated at the scene. Four other students in the vehicle suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Emergency responders from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, Greeneville Fire Department, Tusculum and Greeneville Police, the Greeneville Rescue Squad, and EMS arrived quickly and helped transport the injured.
At the request of Tusculum University, an announcement has been made to the campus community. The school has expressed deep sorrow and offered support services to students and staff impacted by the tragedy. Cook, a first-year student, was described by teammates and friends as “full of promise and energy.”
THP has launched a formal investigation into the crash. Its findings — including whether speed, road conditions, or any mechanical issues contributed — will determine next steps.
Those who knew Cook say he had recently moved from Alberta to Tennessee to pursue both his studies and love of lacrosse. His loss has sent shockwaves through the small campus community — a life cut short at a time filled with hope and future plans.
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