Teenager survives headshot after road traffic aggression

LEWISBURG, Tenn. – Three weeks after a Lewisburg teenager was shot in the head, she shared her story of survival and warned others about the dangers of road rage.

Celina Southerland, 19, spoke to News 2 on Wednesday. She recalled panicking shortly after being shot in the head while driving in Bedford County. She was on her way home after being at the lake with friends.

“I thought my life was over,” Southerland said.

At first she wasn’t even aware that she had been shot.

“When I got my sight back, it was all blurry at first,” Southerland said. “My hearing came back and my girlfriend … was screaming and crying. Her boyfriend was covering her head because he didn’t want her to look at me, and I was wondering what was going on. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw blood and I was like, ‘Oh no.'”

Southerland said she and her friends were driving along Normandy Road when the driver began to tailgate a slower vehicle. After checking the brakes, the driver of the car she was in pulled around the slow-moving vehicle and did the same.

Moments later, a bullet pierced the headrest of her front seat.

“You know, he didn’t have to slow us down. We didn’t have to slow him down either,” Southerland said. “We could have just been the stronger one and kept going.”

Southerland was flown by helicopter to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and was released from the hospital two days later. She told News 2 that she had follow-up appointments with the hospital’s trauma team to monitor for brain bleeding.

Family members said they spoke to Southerland just minutes before the shooting. They also wished the other driver had called 911.

“She sent me a Snapchat message and 23 minutes later – 23 minutes – she was lying in the street with a hole in her head,” said family friend Stacey Robison. “There were three other young teenagers in the car. You’re a grown man. You could have, should have had more patience.”

Southerland now has a permanent scar.

“It’s not fun. It’s your life you’re playing with,” Southerland said. “It can definitely happen quickly.”

William Brown, 42, was arrested on June 27 and charged with aggravated assault. He is currently being held in the Bedford County Jail. His next court date is scheduled for July 31.