Watts, Ky.  (April 18, 2020) – A single vehicle crash claimed the life of a Breathitt County woman late Friday night.  Troopers with Kentucky State Police (KSP) Post 13 in Hazard were dispatched to the collision scene on Highway 15 in the Watts community, following reports of a crash near the Watts Fire Department at around 11:15 p.m.  Breathitt EMS and Watts Fire Department personnel also responded to assist at the scene.

The initial investigation determined that a Polaris General ATV was traveling south on Highway 15 when the driver lost control of the vehicle and traveled off of the northbound shoulder of the roadway.  The ATV rolled over on the passenger side of the vehicle and slid into a shed, where it came to a final rest.  The passenger in the ATV, 32 year old Tiara Combs of Lost Creek, was pronounced deceased at the scene by Breathitt County Coroner Hargess Epperson.  The driver of the vehicle, 34 year old James Combs of Lost Creek was transported to Kentucky River Medical Center in Jackson for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash.  Combs was later admitted for observation.  James and Tiara Combs were married.

Neither helmets nor seat belts were being utilized by occupants at the time of the crash, and contributing factors have yet to be determined.  Toxicology results from a sample provided by James Combs, which is routinely obtained during fatal crash investigations, are pending.  An autopsy was scheduled to be performed at the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Frankfort.  This incident remains under investigation by Detective Scott Caudill with KSP Post 13.

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