KSU Student Charged With Vehicular Homicide In Crash That Killed Friend

KENNESAW, GA -- A Kennesaw State University has been charged with vehicular homicide in a fatal traffic accident that took the life of a fellow student.

Ethan Phillip Dowell, 20, of Suwanee is facing several charges in the crash, including driving with a learner’s permit and failure to maintain lane, according to jail records from the Cobb County Sheriff's Office.

Dowell, 20, bonded out of jail for $5,720 after being taken into custody Friday.

On March 3, Dowell was driving his car with three other occupants on the I-75 northbound around 4 a.m. when he lost control at the exit ramp to Chastain Road in Kennesaw.

The car flipped onto its roof and smashed into a tree. Colin Ruland, a 19-year-old sophomore from Sugar Hill, was ejected from the vehicle and later died at the hospital.

The driver and other passengers -- Cole Kovarchik, 18, and 20-year-old Jordan Wormsby -- sustained minor injuries in the crash.

When the crash occurred, KSU reportedly made grief counselors available to the students. The university said in a statement that they “were deeply saddened to learn that one student was killed and three others were injured in an automobile accident."

Image via Cobb County Sheriff's Office