17-year-old Hoover boy identified as victim in fatal Interstate 65 crash

A 17-year-old Hoover boy was the victim of a fatal crash on Interstate 65 in Birmingham on Monday, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office said.

Hayden Alexander Perry was driving a Ford pickup truck south on I-65 when the truck left the interstate near the Daniel Payne Drive exit in northern Birmingham and struck a light pole at 11:08 p.m. Monday, Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said.

The vehicle caught fire, and Perry was pronounced dead on the scene at 11:35 p.m., Yates said. Discovering Perry’s identity was delayed due to the fire, he said.

The light pole fell across Perry’s truck and across other lanes of travel, and had contact with numerous other vehicles, Yates said.

Perry, the son of Chris and Carissa Perry, had attended Bluff Park Elementary School, Simmons Middle School and Hoover High School, where he was a member of the school’s fishing team, according to his obituary.

“He died too young. He died in a way that no one should ever have to go,” his obituary stated. “But before he died, he lived as a loving, passionate and strong human being. … He also lives on a symbol of unyielding passion for the things that we love and as a reminder of how easily we can lose those closest to us.”

Perry was an active member of the 878 Customz off-road truck club. “He was always really nice,” said Trace Spence, a club member from Calera. “He was just a good kid, always wanted to go fishing, loved his truck.”

A memorial service is planned for 3 p.m. Friday at Shades Crest Baptist Church.