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Earnest Atwell Jr.
Gender : Male
Age : 60
Race : Not Disclosed
Date : 12/21/2024
Location : Interstate 81 at the 45-mile marker
City : Smyth County
County : Smyth
State : Virginia
Agency : Smyth County Sheriff's Office
Cause of Death : Vehicle
Event : Single-vehicle accident
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 12/21/2024, at approximately 3:06 a.m., Earnest Atwell Jr., a 60-year-old school resource officer with the Smyth County Sheriff's Office, was involved in a fatal single-vehicle crash on Interstate 81 at the 45-mile marker in Smyth County, Virginia. Atwell was driving a Ford F-150 northbound when the vehicle veered off the left side of the road, entered the median, and descended a steep, rocky embankment. The truck overturned and came to rest on the southbound side of the median. Atwell was ejected from the vehicle and died from his injuries at the crash site. The Virginia State Police are investigating the crash.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES: 1 fatality
SOURCE LINKS :
• https://augustafreepress.com/news/smyth-county-school-resource-officer-dead-in-interstate-81-crash-early-saturday-morning/
• https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/smyth-county-sro-killed-in-single-vehicle-crash-on-i-81/
• https://www.wcyb.com/news/local/smyth-county-officer-dies-in-single-vehicle-crash-on-i-81
