Cumberland Gap community mourns high school student killed in traffic accident

Ryan Greer with his mother Chelsea Bolden (Annette Bolden)

CUMBERLAND GAP, Tenn. (WATE) – After a father and son were killed in a head-on collision, friends, family and teachers gathered at Cumberland Gap High School to mourn a life lost far too soon.

According to preliminary information from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, 15-year-old Ryan Greer and his father, 34-year-old Logan Greer, were driving on Black Valley Road near Summit Drive around 8:30 p.m. on May 30 when the crash occurred. Investigators said the driver, Logan Greer, failed to maintain his lane and crossed the center line, causing him to collide head-on with another vehicle.

Both Ryan and Logan Greer were pronounced dead at the scene. Neither was wearing a seat belt at the time. The third driver was taken to hospital with injuries.

“My son was amazing. He was sweet. He was very loving. He was a fighter, and I mean that in every sense of the word,” said Ryan Greer’s mother, Chelsea Bolden. “The world scares me right now because when I go outside, I see the sun shining, but it literally doesn’t feel like reality – that this world is spinning and my son isn’t allowed to be in it anymore. He’s not allowed to live.”

On Sunday, she held a celebration in honor of her son in the auditorium of his high school. Friends, family, classmates and teachers honored his memory by sharing stories and reflecting on his impact on their community.

“He had a wonderful personality,” said Tyler Evans, Ryan Greer’s childhood best friend. “He was always a pleasant person. He made people smile even when they didn’t want to. He was just a really pleasant person.”

Everyone described Ryan Greer as someone who is full of life, who likes to joke around and is always fun to be around.

“It means everything to me that so many people are there for him, that I get to meet his friends and see them and hear what his teachers said … and he was a joker,” said his grandmother Anette Bolden. “But to see that he touched so many lives is just wonderful.”

She added that the school plans to build a permanent memorial to him.

“This school will forever remember my son, and that is just incredible to me,” said Bolden. “It brings me so much joy.”