A father is dead, his three-year-old son is fighting for his life, after a violent crash in southern Kentucky.

The accident happened just after 11:00 on Tuesday morning on Kentucky 30, at the Laurel-Jackson County line.

Police tell us the toddler is in critical condition and being treated at Kentucky Children's Hospital in Lexington. His father, 30-year-old Dewey Gibbons, died in the crash.

Police say the two were headed to London when the Ford Focus they were riding in crossed the center line and slammed into a pick-up truck driven by 19-year-old Benjamin Taylor, from Tyner.

The two vehicles hit head-on. Police say the force was so strong, the steering wheel in the Ford Focus was pushed to the back seat.

Taylor was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in London. Police believe he will be okay.

Police say the child was in a safety seat and Gibbons was also wearing a seat belt.

At this time, police do not believe alcohol was a factor in the crash.