Child dies after Pond River Road wreck

A third person has died from injuries sustained in a head-on collision Tuesday afternoon on Pond River Road in Todd County.

Officials at Vanderbilt University Medical Center confirmed that 11-year old Peyton Baker died Thursday afternoon. He had been a student at Todd County Middle School.

As previously reported, Kentucky State Police say 25-year old Zackary Cannon of Elkton was northbound on Pond River Road when he ran off the right side of the road for an unknown reason, over-corrected and then struck a southbound SUV driven by 32-year old Janine Watzke of Allegre head-on.

Baker was Watzke’s son and he was flown from the scene to Vanderbilt. Watzke and another passenger, 30-year old Julie Powell of Allegre, died at the scene.

Cannon was flown to Skyline Medical Center in Nashville with non-life-threatening injuries.

According to a letter from Todd County Schools Superintendent Ed Oyler to teachers, the school system will be offering counseling to students and staff throughout the upcoming days. He urges teachers to talk with their students and discuss their thoughts and feelings on the tragedy and to contact the trained psychologists that will be on hand should a child need help.

Six people have died this year on Todd County roads after there was only one traffic fatality in all of 2017.

You can read Ed Oyler’s entire statement here.