BENTON, KY - A Benton teen is dead after falling from a moving vehicle on Wadesboro Road Tuesday evening.

At around 7:05 p.m. Tuesday evening, emergency responders were dispatched to Wadesboro Road North between Tom Lane Road and Houser Road.  Responders arrived on the scene to find 19-year-old Zachary Smalley of Benton on the ground and unresponsive.

According to the report, 19-year-old Logan McNeely of Benton was driving northbound on Wadesboro Road along with a front seat passenger, 19-year-old Robert Davis, also of Benton. Smalley was the back seat passenger.  While McNeely was driving northbound, Smalley attempted to climb out the sunroof of the vehicle. Both McNeely and Davis said they tried to talk Smalley into not climbing out, but he continued to do so.

At some point McNeely’s vision was obscured by Smalley’s leg and McNeely swerved causing Smalley to fall from the vehicle into the roadway.  Smalley was unresponsive and witnesses tried to revive him on scene along with emergency medical personnel, but were unsuccessful.

The investigation is ongoing by the sheriff’s office collision reconstructionist.