Three Grayson County men were killed in a Salt River Road accident on Sunday afternoon, November 4.
According to Grayson County Sheriff Rick Clemons, a Dodge pick-up truck being driven by 23-year-old William Akridge, of Big Clifty, was travelling east on Salt River Road at around 1 p.m. when it ran off of the side of the road.
Akridge appeared to have overcorrected, according to Clemons, and then lost control of the vehicle as it crossed the westbound lane of traffic and struck a tree head-on.
While Akridge was wearing a seatbelt at the time of collision, according to Clemons, his two passengers, Stephen Drake, 28, of Leitchfield, and Jordan Higdon, 23, of Big Clifty, were not belted. All three men were killed.
Grayson County Deputy Coroner Larry Holeman said that the cause of death in each case was blunt force trauma.
Akridge, Drake and Higdon were pronounced dead at the scene in what Clemons called one of the worst accidents he has ever seen.
Leitchfield Volunteer Fire Department worked to extricate the men from the vehicle, which was smashed nearly beyond recognition, and Salt River Road was shut down for nearly two hours while Deputy Buck Meredith, of the Grayson County Sheriff’s Department investigated the scene.
Kentucky State Trooper Brad Riley and Grayson County Chief Deputy Tony Willen assisted with the investigation, and Grayson County EMS also responded.
Following the accident, Clemons said that while he has dealt with many things during his 26 years in law enforcement, it still hurts on a professional and personal level to see families devastated like this.
He added, “Our hearts and prayers go out to the family members who have lost a loved one.”
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