County trash abatement vehicle totaled in head-on collision

October 5, 2004

 
County Administrator Steve Doolittle views the wreckage


Chief Deputy Mat Valerius and Supervisor Bill Adams at the wreck scene on Old Benton Road

 The county's trash abatement vehicle and trailer were involved in a head-on collision October 4th on the Old Benton Road East of Paducah.

69 year old Floyd Neblett, a retired deputy jailer, was driving a jeep station wagon and trailer west on The Benton Road at Clarks River Bridge when it was struck head-on by a car driven by 19 year old David Reynolds. Neblett and Reynolds along with two inmates 22 year old Robert Grant and 48 year old Gregory Clark were all treated and released at Lourdes Hospital.

Clark was the most seriously injured with a broken left arm which will need additional surgery. Grant and Clark were both returned to the jail following treatment. Grant is a county inmate serving 180 days. Clark is a Class D inmate serving 3 years.

Reynolds lost control of his vehicle and slammed into a guard rail on the right side of the road bounced to the left side of the road and hit the county vehicle head-on.

Neblett, who was employed by the county to supervise the trash abatement program, had stopped when he saw the Reynolds vehicle go out of control.

County Administrator Steve Doolittle who went to the scene with Jailer Cliff Gill and Deputies Mat Valerius and Bill Adams said the county vehicle was a total loss.

Kentucky State Police are investigating the accident.