A Friday morning automobile accident claimed the life of one Grayson County man, while seriously injuring another.

59-year-old Gary L. Higdon, of Brandenburg Road in Leitchfield, was killed when the 1994 General Motors Conventional Cab pick-up truck in which he was a passenger left the roadway and struck a tree head-on, according to responding officer, Deputy Bryan Hammons, with the Grayson County Sheriff’s Department.

The vehicle, which was being driven at the time by 46-year-old David B. Clemons, of Peonia Road in Clarkson, was headed north on KY 889 approximately 10 miles east of the City of Clarkson when the accident occurred.

Clemons told responding officers that he could not recall the accident at all, and it is unclear what caused the wreck.

Both Wax and Clarkson Fire Departments responded to the scene, where both men were trapped inside the truck. Higdon had to be extricated from the vehicle by mechanical means.

Clemons suffered multiple injuries and was treated at the scene and transported to Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center by Grayson County EMS. He was later flown by emergency helicopter to a Louisville area hospital for further treatment.

Clemons was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

Higdon suffered multiple injuries, which proved to be fatal. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Grayson County Coroner Joe Brad Hudson.

Higdon was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of impact, though he carried a medical clearance card which exempted him from the seatbelt requirement, according to Hammons.