A peaceful afternoon on a local road turned into a heartbreaking disaster when a head-on collision claimed the lives of a 47-year-old mother and a 6-year-old child, sending two other children to the hospital in critical condition.
It happened at approximately 2:04 p.m. on August 1st, along State Route 7 near milepost 4 in Union Township, Lawrence County. According to information provided by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Heather D. Reger of Proctorville was driving northbound in her SUV when the vehicle veered off the right side of the roadway, struck a guardrail, and continued scraping along the metal barrier before sharply turning left—straight into oncoming traffic.
That’s when her SUV collided head-on with a southbound vehicle driven by James A. Riffe, 40, also from Proctorville. Reger and 6-year-old Bryston Adkins, who was seated in the second row of her vehicle, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Two other juvenile passengers riding with Reger were rushed in critical condition to Cabell Huntington Hospital by Lawrence County EMS. Riffe survived the crash with minor injuries and was transported from the scene for treatment.
Authorities on the scene included the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, Chesapeake Police, Union Township and Proctorville Fire Departments, and the Lawrence County Coroner. As noted in the official release, none of the children in Reger’s vehicle were wearing seat belts.
This crash remains under investigation by the Ohio State Highway Patrol, but early indications point to loss of vehicle control and lack of restraint use as key contributing factors.
If you or someone you know has been affected by a traffic tragedy or is struggling with grief or trauma in the aftermath of fatal collisions, local help is available. Contact HopeSource Scioto County at (740) 354-6645, or The Counseling Center’s 24-hour crisis line at (740) 354-1010. The National Alliance for Children’s Grief also offers 24/7 resources at childrengrieve.org.
Why This Matters: Fatal crashes involving children are always among the most devastating. Just last year, we reported on a similar case in Scioto County where a young child’s life might have been saved by a properly used safety restraint.
What We’ve Learned: Seat belts aren’t optional. They’re survival gear. And for children, it’s the difference between heartbreak and hope.
