COLUMBUS – An accident that took place Thursday morning in the town of Columbus claimed the life of a Sherburne man.

Early Thursday morning, William M. Collins, 46, of 3108 Highway 80 East in Sherburne, was killed when his vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer at the intersection of state Route 8 and County Route 25 in Columbus. According to the State Trooper’s Office in Norwich, fog most likely played a role in the accident.

According to the state police, Collins was traveling east on Rt. 25, and failed to yield at a stop sign. Although the evidence in inconclusive at this point, troopers said visibility was limited to approximately 100 feet and that the fog could have been a factor in the accident. Collins’ Jeep was struck by a tractor-trailer traveling north on state Route 8. The tractor-trailer attempted to avoid the Jeep by swerving and hitting the brakes. The tractor-trailer overturned and struck the rear of Collins’ vehicle in the process. The Jeep was pushed off the road and over an embankment, hitting several rocks on the way down and causing the vehicle to flip onto its roof. Collins was thrown from the vehicle. According to troopers who responded to the scene, Collins was not wearing his seat belt.