Three teenagers are dead and a fourth young man remains critically injured after a single-vehicle crash tore through a curve on Somerset Road in London late Saturday night. The victims have been identified as 17-year-old Landon Mullins of Mount Vernon and 18-year-olds Duke Weddle and Elijah Hammons, while 20-year-old Joseph Cope of Lexington was airlifted to a Lexington hospital with critical injuries.
The crash happened around 11:07 p.m., according to WDRB, when a passenger car traveling east on the roadway entered a sharp right-hand curve, lost control off the left shoulder and overturned, as reported by WNKY. Mullins was pronounced dead at the scene, the outlet said, while Hammons was taken to Saint Joseph Hospital in London and later pronounced dead there. Reporting on the identities of the victims differs on where Duke Weddle lived — WDRB's account lists him as being from London, while WNKY identifies him as being from Corbin; WNKY also reported that he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Fourth Victim Airlifted With Critical Injuries
Cope was airlifted to UK Hospital following the crash, according to WKYT. WNKY and LEX 18 reported that he remained in critical condition, though WDRB's initial report on the crash said the fourth victim's condition was unknown at the time. As LEX 18 reported, the crash involved a 2021 silver Mercedes traveling eastbound on KY 1956, also known locally as Somerset Road, within the western city limits of London.
Per the same LEX 18 account, sheriff's deputies said two passengers died from their injuries at the scene, while a third passenger was pronounced deceased at a local hospital. The Laurel County Sheriff's Office identified Cope as the injured survivor on Sunday, according to the outlet, and three accident reconstructionists are working the crash alongside London City Police Department investigators. Authorities said they will release more information as it becomes available.
Investigation Continues as Kentucky Traffic Deaths Climb
The investigation into the Somerset Road crash remains ongoing, per WNKY, with both the Laurel County Sheriff's Office and London City Police Department involved. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The tragedy adds to a troubling statewide pattern. Kentucky recorded 412 traffic deaths from Jan. 1 through Aug. 13, 2026, a 6% increase over the same period a year earlier, according to WUKY. Serious-injury crashes climbed 10% over the same stretch, the station reported, and crashes involving improperly used or unworn seat belts rose 7%. Officials cited by WUKY pointed to aggressive, distracted and impaired driving as the leading contributing factors behind the increase.
