Opp, Alabama — A tragic accident claimed the life of 51-year-old Jerry P. Watford of Abbeville, Alabama, after a fatal single-vehicle crash Monday morning along U.S. Highway 331 at the intersection of Covington County Road 38.
According to the Opp Police Department, emergency crews responded at approximately 11:13 a.m. to reports of a vehicle that had gone through a guardrail and into a nearby lake. Upon arrival, officers discovered that a log truck carrying timber had left the roadway, breaking through the guardrail before becoming partially submerged underwater.
Despite the swift response from the Opp Police Department and Opp Fire Department, Jerry Watford, the driver of the truck, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
Preliminary findings suggest that the log truck had been traveling west on County Road 38 when it veered off the road, collided with the guardrail, and entered the lake. Recovery operations took several hours, requiring the temporary closure of a portion of Highway 331. The roadway has since been reopened by the Alabama Department of Transportation.
The Opp Police Department continues to investigate the cause of the crash and has extended its deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr. Watford.
Jerry Watford is remembered by family, friends, and coworkers as a hardworking and kind-hearted man who dedicated his life to his profession and to those he cared about. His sudden and tragic passing has left an immense void in the hearts of those who knew him.
May his memory live on through the love he shared and the lives he touched.