Southwood Killed in Sunday Crash

A former Breathitt County man was killed in a two-vehicle accident early Sunday morning after his truck collided with an ambulance.

John Raymond Southwood, 41, of Cynthiana, formerly of Lost Creek, was pronounced dead at the scene by Breathitt County Coroner Hargis Eppeson shortly after 3:00 a.m. on May 17

According to police reports, Southwood was traveling north on Highway 15 when he crossed the centerline in his 2010 Chevrolet Silverado Z-71 4x4 just after 1:50 a.m. and struck an ambulance, Unit 60, from the Perry County Ambulance Service, driven by Brandon Smith of Hazard.

The ambulance was traveling southbound, returning from a run to Lexington. 

Smith attempted to avoid the collision and was partially on the shoulder of the road when the collision occurred.

Officials from the Kentucky State Police, Breathitt County Coroner’s Office, the Kentucky Department for Highways, and the Jackson Fire Department responded to the location approximately 3.33 miles south of Jackson, at the curve between the intersection of 1098 and the Bailey Center.

Highway 15 was closed for more than seven hours, and a detour was in place until shortly after 8:00 a.m. 

According to investigators, Southwood was not wearing a seat belt and was killed instantly in the crash.  Brandon Smith, the ambulance driver, and an unnamed paramedic, who were wearing seatbelts, were transported to Appalachian Regional Medical Center in Hazard by the Breathitt-Wolfe Ambulance Service for evaluation.

A crew from the Jackson Fire Department extricated Southwood’s body from the wreckage after troopers completed their investigation and measurements.

His body was transported to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort for an autopsy.  Toxicology results are pending.

Southwood was an avid fisherman and loved the outdoors.  A former employee of the City of Louisville, he is survived by his mother, father, a daughter, and several brothers and a sister.  He will be buried in a private service at the McIntosh Cemetery at Clayhole.

The accident remains under investigation by KSP Accident Reconstructionist Branden Watts.