Fatal Collision on US HWY 421 Involving Jackson County Residents

Press release
June 23, 2026

Just before 5:00 a.m., Deputy John Root of the Rockcastle County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a fatal collision on Highway 421 near the community of Big Hill.

A 2003 Chevrolet pickup truck, driven by Kevin Wilson, 25, of McKee, Kentucky, and occupied by three passengers, appeared to have crossed into the path of a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Matthew Gabbard, 45, also of McKee, Kentucky.

Gabbard was transported to CHI Saint Joseph Hospital in Berea, where he was pronounced deceased by the Madison County Coroner.

Additional information will be released upon completion of the accident reconstruction investigation.

Agencies responding to the scene included the Rockcastle County Sheriff’s Office, McKee Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, EMS units from Rockcastle, Madison, and Jackson counties, Climax Volunteer Fire Department, Sand Gap Volunteer Fire Department, Rockcastle County Emergency Management, and the Kentucky Department of Transportation.