Friday, January 30, 2015

A SEMI TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK SIDESWIPED AN UNOCCUPIED CAR OFF THE SIDE OF THE SPEED LANE ON I-71, LOST CONTROL AND CROSSED THE MEDIAN INTO THE SOUTHBOUND LANES WHERE HE COLLIDED HEAD-ON WITH TWO SOUTHBOUND VEHICLES KILLING ONE DRIVER AND SEVERELY INJURING ANOTHER



A SEMI TRACTOR TRAILER TRUCK SIDESWIPED AN UNOCCUPIED CAR OFF THE SIDE OF THE SPEED LANE ON I-71, LOST CONTROL AND CROSSED THE MEDIAN INTO THE SOUTHBOUND LANES WHERE HE COLLIDED HEAD-ON WITH TWO SOUTHBOUND VEHICLES KILLING ONE DRIVER AND SEVERELY INJURING ANOTHER







January 29, 2015

Verona, KY

All lanes of Interstate 71 reopened near the I-71/75 split just after 5 p.m. Thursday, nearly eight hours after a multi-vehicle wreck involving a semi truck claimed the life of a Lexington, Kentucky man and critically injured a woman in her 60s.

The crash happened about 9:30 a.m. in a southbound lane at mile marker 73, just north of the KY 14/Verona exit. 

Investigators with the Boone County Sheriff's Office say Christopher Thornhill, 33 of Rossburg, Ohio was driving a 2009 Peterbuilt tractor trailer northbound on I-71 when he sideswiped an unoccupied Chevrolet Cavalier off the side of the speed lane, lost control and crossed the median into the southbound lanes.

That’s where he collided head-on with two southbound vehicles.  
Medics pronounced the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado, 45-year-old Mark Sevilla of Lexington, dead at the scene.

Sandra Edwards, 64, of Cincinnati, was the driver of a Chevrolet SUV crossover involved in the wreck. An Air Care helicopter crew transported her to University of Cincinnati Medical Center with what are considered life-threatening injuries, according to Tom Scheben, information officer for the Boone County Sheriff's Office.

Scheben said the semi driver suffered only minor injuries.
One northbound lane reopened by 11:40 a.m. and traffic on the second lane returned to normal at 1:30 p.m. But it wasn't until shortly after 5 p.m. that traffic started to return to normal in the southbound lanes.

Nancy Wood, spokesperson for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, had been advising motorists throughout the day to expect "long delays" and to "seek alternate routes." Wood initially said she expected all lanes of the interstate to reopen by 3 p.m. but it took an additional two hours to clear the wreckage and finish up the field investigation.
Randy Shelton said the slowdown more than tripled his commute time.

"From Exit 55 to (the spot of the accident) it took me an hour and a half, I reckon. It would normally take me 20 to 30 minutes."
While it's still not clear what caused the wreck, but the initial investigation indicates all drivers were wearing their seat belts, Scheben said. They've also determined the air bags deployed in both the Chevrolets.

The owner of the tractor trailer is DL Winner Livestock Express out of New Weston, Ohio. The trailer was empty at the time of the crash.