SEYMOUR — A Kentucky man lost his life Thursday evening following a high-speed, single-vehicle rollover crash on U.S. Highway 31 in Jackson County.
Deputies with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene at approximately 7:30 p.m. on April 23 after receiving reports of a serious wreck near the 700 block of North U.S. 31.
According to preliminary investigation findings, 42-year-old Earl Vaught, of California, Kentucky, was traveling southbound on U.S. 31. Investigators believe that Vaught’s vehicle initially drifted off the roadway, leading to a sequence of events that turned fatal.
Evidence suggests that Vaught attempted to overcorrect, causing the vehicle to cross both lanes of traffic. The vehicle then struck a culvert and rolled multiple times before coming to a rest. Vaught was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses who were in the area before the collision told deputies that the vehicle appeared to be traveling at a high rate of speed before it left the pavement.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Department is continuing to investigate the factors that led to the crash. No other vehicles were involved in the incident, and there were no other occupants in Vaught’s vehicle.
First responders secured the area for several hours Thursday night to process the scene and clear the wreckage. The Sheriff’s Department has not yet released further details regarding mechanical issues or other contributing environmental factors.
