GATE CITY, Va. - A Monday morning car crash left a Pennington Gap man dead, a horse dead and another man critically injured, a news release from the Virginia State Police stated.
At 4 a.m. Monday, VSP responded to a crash on Route 23 in Scott County. A 2008 Hyundai Accent was traveling south on Route 23 near the 7-mile marker when it stuck a horse in the roadway, the release states. Information was not immediately available about why the horse was in the roadway.
The driver, Jackson C. Harless, 66, of Pennington Gap, was transported to Bristol Regional Medical Center for treatment of life-threatening injuries. He was wearing a seat belt.
However, the passenger, Jackson C. Harless Jr., 44, of Pennington Gap, died at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt. The horse also died at the scene.
The Virginia State Police Wytheville Division Crash Reconstruction Team is assisting with the ongoing crash investigation.