By Joseph M. Morgan

UPDATED: MONNDAY, 9:37 a.m. >> FORT PAYNE, Ala.—Fort Payne PD Corrections Officer Cody Ledale Wells, 23, of Fort Payne was killed in a fatal, single-vehicle car accident Saturday night.

Wells was off-duty and traveling in his personal vehicle on County Road 85 in the Henagar vicinity Saturday night when he crashed into a concrete well. Tragedies like this are really heartbreaking, the suffering of his loved ones is truly unimaginable. Although it will be hoped that people will now consider what safety measures they have put in place. This includes car insurance. There is really cheap car insurance out there now, so it should be expected that every driver on the roads is insured.

The car, pictured below and right, was totaled on impact. A member of the Wells family said that Cody was killed instantly in the accident.

The Fort Payne Police Department confirmed Wells's death, but would not comment further on the nature of the accident.

Wells was born and raised in Fort Payne and graduated from Fort Payne High School in 2011. After graduating high school Wells made the decision to serve his country in the U.S. Army National Guard.

Pfc. Sydney Price of Lakeland, Fla. completed U.S. Army Basic Training with Wells from April 14, 2015 until graduation on Sept. 3, 2015 at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.

"Cody was a friend to everyone who went through basic training," Price said. "He was always positive and kept us all motivated. He would never let us quit and picked people up when they were ready to give up. He was truly a good friend to all who knew him and a good soldier.

"It was obvious to anyone who was around him that he loved his son very much. That's all he talked about. He was a really proud father, and he talked about his son every day. He will be missed."

Pfc. Price said she and a group of other U.S. Army "Battle Buddies" of Wells, if schedules permit, plan to make the drive all the way from Lakeland, Fla. to Fort Payne, Ala. to attend the funeral to show their respect and honor the memory of Officer Wells.

Wells is survived by his mother, Michele Ortiz; father, Cory Wells; fiancee, Danielle "Channing' Ogle; son, Braxton Ryne "B-Man" Wells; brother, Gage Howard who just returned home on Thursday after also completing basic training at Fort Leornard Wood, Missouri; brother, Nicholas "Nicko" Ortiz who is a senior standout athlete at Fort Payne High School; grandmother, Mickey Brock; and many other family members and friends.

In September 2015, Southern Torch covered Cody's surprise homecoming from military training when he attended a Fort Payne High School pep rally to surprise his brother Nicko before a Wildcats football game.

We will follow this story closely and provide an update as soon as possible, after we have received more information and details from the Fort Payne Police Department.

It is always tragic when someone dies in an accident. It is made especially tragic when the accident is caused by someone else. When this happens families often seek compensation for the accident, there are plenty personal injury lawyer los angeles california but finding the right one for you can be a challenge. The police report is the key piece of evidence they may need to successfully pursue a claim as it is an unbiased account of what happened. If you have been in an accident and need help getting the police report then you may want to visit a site like https://www.stewartlawoffices.net/columbia-personal-injury-lawyer/car-accident-lawyer/how-to-get-a-copy-of-your-accident-report/ for help. It looks like Wells was the only one involved in the crash so his family won't need to do that.

Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Thursday at Wilson Funeral Home in Fort Payne with burial following in Glenwood Cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Wells's family, his friends and loved ones, and his fellow officers at the Fort Payne Police Department.