A Single Vehicle Crash In Smyth County Virginia Over The Weekend Has Claimed The Life Of An Atkins Man. According To Virginia State Police. 60 Year Old Earnest Atwell Jr. Was Traveling On Interstate 81 Southbound At The 45 Mile Marker, When His Vehicle Left The Roadway, Went Into The Median, Down A Steep Rocky Embankment And Overturned. Police Said Atwell Was Ejected From The Vehicle And Died From His Injuries. Atwell Was A School Resource Officer With The Smyth County Sheriff’s Office. The Crash Remains Under Investigation.