‘Sleep took the wheel’ when man died in fatal Macon crash, victim’s brother says

A cook and soon-to-be father who had just worked a double-shift was reportedly sleep-deprived when he crashed with a tractor-trailer and died in Macon Thursday night, according to his brother and the Bibb County Coroner’s Office.

Donnie Paul Rowell, a Warner Robins man, died on his way home from working a double shift at Golden Corral in Macon, according to Bluette Rowell Jr., Paul Rowell’s older brother.

Paul Rowell was driving an SUV when he veered into oncoming traffic and struck an 18-wheel truck “head-on,” the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The wreck happened just before 11 p.m. on Rocky Creek Road near Jennifer Drive.

“The sleep took the wheel,” Bluette Rowell told The Telegraph.

Just hours before the crash, Paul Rowell learned his fiancé was pregnant and going to have a child, Bluette Rowell said.

“He lived and loved like we all do, but he wanted to be a father to his own flesh and blood,” Bluette Rowell said. “After helping raise stepchildren, he just fulfilled his wish ... He was going to have his own child. I know he was very happy.”

Paul Rowell was known for his sense of humor and big heart for those around him.

He was “someone that would be with me through every stage of my life, but it has been cut short,” Bluette Rowell said.

When the brothers – less than a year apart in age – were younger, Bluette Rowell used to jokingly spook Paul Rowell in the dark, his older brother recalled, saying it was a memory that stuck with him.

“I would sit and wait for Donnie to come past so I could give him a scare,” Bluette Rowell said. “Now I will be facing things in the dark alone.”

‘Always helping’

The 45-year-old always brought infectious positive energy to the kitchen at Golden Corral, according to Yrbelt Louis, his manager at Golden Corral.

“He was a friendly person when it comes to the staff, always helping, jumping everywhere, getting everything done,” Louis said. “He was a go-getter.”

Louis only knew Paul Rowell for a month and a half after he became a manager at the site, but his grit was quickly evident.

“The whole staff is really distraught by his passing,” Louis said. “I’ve already missed him because of the person he is, the work ethic that he put forth.”

The “proud country boy” was a fisherman and camping enthusiast who found joy in nature, according to an obituary by Burpee-Scott Memorial Chapel & Crematory, which was organizing his cremation. His parents, Bluette Rowell Sr. and Romona Irene (Gardner) Rowell, were also memorialized there.

Bluette Rowell was raising money to organize a memorial for Paul Rowell via GoFundMe. The fundraiser raised $2,320 by Thursday morning, and had a goal of $2,800.

“With extra funds, I can have a service and a proper send-off for him,” the GoFundMe said. “If you can help it happen, then I can postpone the cremation.”

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office declined The Telegraph’s request for an interview about the crash.

This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 8:41 AM.