In a span of three hours, two Roanoke-Chowan area men lost their lives on Saturday morning during separate motor vehicle accidents.

The first fatal crash involved a former Hertford County High School athlete when Jarquis Manley, 19, of Cofield was killed in a single-vehicle crash on the Ahoskie-Cofield Road (RP 1403). The accident occurred at 5:10 a.m. near Cofield.

According to a report filed by North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper N.L. Harrison, Manley was operating a 2001 Ford passenger car that was traveling north. The vehicle ran off the right side of the road in a curve, came back on the pavement, traveled off the left side of the road, continued through a ditch and then struck a tree.

Harrison’s report revealed that Manley was killed on impact. The victim was not wearing a seat belt. The report also showed that exceeding the posted speed was a contributing factor in the one-car crash.

There were no passengers in Manley’s vehicle.

Three hours later (8:10 a.m.), a Windsor man lost his life during a one-vehicle accident on the Indian Woods Road (RP 1108) in Bertie County.

Donnie Jenkins, 26, was killed when the 1992 Lexus passenger car he was operating ran off the right side of the road, re-entered the roadway, overcorrected and ran off the right edge of the pavement again, this time colliding with a tree that claimed his life.

As in the earlier fatal crash, Jenkins was traveling alone. He was also not wearing a seat belt.

NCHP Trooper M.A. Gerard reported that Jenkins was killed at the scene of the crash. He added in his report that speed contributed to the fatal accident.

The two weekend fatalities bring the Bertie/Gates/Hertford area highway death total to 24 since Jan. 1.