VINTON COUNTY, Ohio — In the early hours of Friday, a single-vehicle accident on Covered Bridge Road, just half a mile north of Minerton Chapel Road in Wilkesville Township, sent shockwaves through Vinton County. The incident, which occurred at approximately 3:30 AM, resulted in the loss of a young life and serves as a grim reminder of the importance of road safety.
The victim of the crash was identified as 22-year-old James Earl Basil Elkins, a resident of Vinton. Elkins had been traveling northeast on TR-8W in a pickup. The vehicle veered off the right side of the road, swerved back onto the roadway, then careened off the left side, colliding with an embankment. The pickup subsequently overturned multiple times before coming to a rest on its roof. Tragically, Elkins, who was not wearing his seat belt, was ejected from the vehicle upon impact and was pronounced dead at the crash site by the Vinton County Coroner, troopers said.
Jacob Levi Ray Taylor, 21, from Gallipolis, was a passenger in Elkins’ vehicle. Like Elkins, Taylor was also not wearing his seat belt during the accident, troopers said. He was thrown into the rear seat of the pickup as it tumbled, suffering minor injuries that were treated at the scene before his release.
In response to the incident, several local agencies swiftly arrived at the crash site, including the Wilkesville Volunteer Fire Department, Vinton County E.M.S., and the Vinton County Coroner’s Office, to provide assistance and support.
