Altavista High School student dies in wreck

An Altavista High School student died in a single-car wreck Sunday night, police said.

Devin Wayne Kirby, 16, died after his car hit a tree off Shula Drive in Pittsylvania County.

Kirby’s car ran off the right side of the road. Kirby over-corrected, ran off the left side of the road and then flipped, said First Sgt. D.O. Cooper, spokesman for the Virginia State Police. The car rolled into a tree.

Cooper said Kirby was wearing his seatbelt. Speed and inexperience were factors in the wreck, he said.

Drivers should stay calm if they drive onto the shoulder, Cooper said.

“First thing would be to take your foot off the gas,” he said. “Don’t hit the brakes and don’t jerk the wheel.”