Crash claims life of 19-year-old man

A single vehicle crash on Highway 904 Monday morning claimed the life of a Williamsburg man.
Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley pronounced Timothy Rains, 19, dead about 9:55 a.m. Rains died instantly in the accident.
About 9:20 a.m. Rains was travelling on Highway 904 going toward Gatliff when he lost control of his Honda Civic, left the roadway, and went about 20 feet over an embankment side swiping a tree.
“Due to conditions that are still being investigated, the car veered off the road. He died of injuries sustained in the automobile accident,” Croley said.
Rains car had a donut type spare tire on the back driver’s side.
Croley said that could have played a role in the crash.
“That more than likely was a factor in the loss of control,” Croley noted.
Volunteer firefighters from Patterson Creek, 3-Point, and Woodbine had to use the Jaws of Life to extricate Rains body from the wreckage.
Rains was not wearing a seatbelt.
Neither drug nor alcohol involvement is suspected.
“Toxicology was done, but alcohol or drug use at this point isn’t suspected of being a contributing cause,” Croley said.
Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Todd Shelley investigated the accident, and was assisted at the scene by Kentucky State Police Troopers Mike Witt and Fred Pennington, and Whitley County EMS members.