Lost Creek Crash Kills Two

Two Breathitt County neighbors died in a violent three-vehicle crash on Wednesday, April 22.

Deanna Kay Noble, 30, of Ned, and Brandon Keith Combs, 36, of Ned Branch, were killed after their vehicles collided at the start of the four-lane at Watts.

Officials at 911 dispatch in Hazard received a call at 11;13 a.m.reporting a multi-vehicle crash approximately 12.5 miles south of Jackson on Highway 15. 

Witnesses reported that the roadway was blocked, and one of the vehicles had flipped in the collision.

Emergency medical crews, law enforcement from the Breathitt County Sheriff’s office,  the Kentucky State Police, and rescue crews from the Watts-Caney and Jackson Fire Department responded to the scene.

A witness told investigators that Deanna Noble was traveling northbound in a black Toyota Camry SE and was following a dump truck leased by the Breathitt County Fiscal Court.  As the two vehicles reached the passing lane, Noble attempted to pass the truck at the beginning of the four-lane section of the roadway at Watts.

According to Kentucky State Police accident reconstructionists, Brandon Combs was driving a Dodge Avenger southbound on Highway 15 when it crossed the center line into the northbound lane and hit Noble’s vehicle head-on.

The force of the impact drove Noble’s Camry into the path of the dump truck, driven by Gary Clark, who was unable to avoid striking Noble’s vehicle.

Both Combs and Noble received fatal blunt force trauma injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene by Breathitt County Coroner Hargis Epperson.

Officials closed Highway 15 and opened an active investigation into the three-vehicle crash.

Investigators determined that Deanna Noble was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, but found that Combs was not.

Crews from the fire department used extrication equipment to remove both Noble and Combs from their vehicles.  They were transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort for autopsies, as is standard operating procedure for most vehicle-involved fatalities.

As of press time, toxicology results are pending and may take several months to be completed.

Crews from the District 10 office of the Kentucky Department of Transportation helped divert traffic across Highways 28 and 476 while investigators completed their work.

Highway crews worked to clear the debris from the roadway, which reopened to traffic at approximately 6:30 Wednesday night.

Brandon K. Combs was the son of the late Lloyd T. and Donna (Combs) Combs.  He is survived by one son and several relatives.  Funeral services for Combs were held on Sunday, April 26, at Deaton Funeral Home.  He was buried in the Combs-Neace Cemetery at Ned.

Deanna K. Noble was the youngest daughter of County Judge Executive Jeffery D. and Brenda K. (Little) Noble of Ned.  She is survived by one sister, her fiancé, and a nephew.  Noble was laid to rest on Monday in the Noble Family Cemetery near her home on Lost Creek.

The Breathitt County Courthouse, the Breathitt County Judicial Center, and numerous other agencies were closed on Monday in honor of the two crash victims.

Noble and Combs lived less than a half mile from each other at Ned.

The collision remains under investigation by Kentucky State Police Detective Scott Caudill.