Inez man dies in Pike crash

By Lilly Adkins

BSN Associate Editor

HARDY — An Inez man died in a commercial vehicle collision in the Hardy community of Pike County Thursday.

James Hager, 48, was operating a 1990 white Kenworth tractor trailer loaded with logs on Ky. 319 when he lost control, causing his vehicle to overturn, according to a press release issued by Kentucky State Police in Pikeville.

Debris from the vehicle struck a Chevrolet pickup parked in the driveway of a nearby residence, the release said. The owner of the pickup, Larry Stanley, 59, of Hardy, was inside of the vehicle at the time but did not sustain any injuries, the release said.

Hager was pronounced dead the on scene by the Pike County Coroner’s Office, the release said.

Ky. 319 was shut down for several hours while emergency crews cleaned debris from the roadway.

Both the KSP and its Commercial Vehicle Division responded and began the investigation.

Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer Jordan Blankenship is investigating the collision and was assisted on scene by CVE East Region personnel, the Belfry and Blackberry volunteer fire departments, and Appalachian First Response Ambulance Service.

Hager was a coal miner and rebuilt equipment for over 20 years. He owned and operated a construction business and currently a logging company and J. Hager Farms.

Hager is survived by his wife, Ivalean Hager of Inez; his father and step-mother, Raymond and Priscilla Hager of Ransom; two children, James Sailor Hager and Morgan Dion Hager, both of Inez; and five siblings, Ira Shane Hager of Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, McKinney Mitchell Hager of Georgetown, Selena Kinney of Canada, Shawna Brooks of Lexington, and Serenity Kronmuller of Morehead.

Funeral services were held Jan. 23 at at Callaham Funeral Home in Inez, with burial in Hager Family Cemetery at Tomahawk.