Truck Accidents 360 Newswire

MUNFORDVILLE, KY – A deadly truck accident killed eleven people Friday, March 26, on a highway in Hart County, Kentucky, when a truck slammed into a 15 passenger van carrying a family to a wedding in Iowa. The truck accident happened on Interstate 65 near the town of Munfordville, KY. The accident area is in the southwest central section of the state, 75 miles south of Louisville, KY and 105 miles northeast of Nashville, Tennessee.

Shortly after 5:30 a.m. Friday morning a semi trailer truck driven by an unidentified Alabama resident was headed south on Interstate 65. The tractor truck was carrying a load of auto brake drums for Hester, Inc., based in Fayette, Alabama.

As the 18 wheeler truck passed through Munfordville near mile marker 63, the truck driver apparently lost control of the rig. The semi truck smashed through cable restraints at the side of the interstate and crossed over the center median, slamming head on into a northbound dark green passenger van. After hitting the van, the tractor trailer truck then crashed in to a rock wall along the interstate and erupted in flames.

WATCH VIDEO

.

Kentucky State Police troopers and local emergency personnel quickly responded to the truck accident scene. Ten people in the van suffered fatal blunt force trauma injuries. Authorities say they were all wearing seat belts at the time of the truck accident. EMTS freed the victims from the van and transported them to a nearby hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Two children, aged 4 and 5, who were passengers in the van were in child safety seats and survived the horrific crash. They were removed from the demolished van by another truck driver who witnessed the truck accident and had stopped to give assistance. The children were placed in the cab of his truck to stay warm until paramedics arrived.

The children were treated at the scene and then transported to a nearby hospital. The extent of their injuries is unknown at this time, but one of the children reportedly only suffered a bloody nose. They were released from the hospital Friday afternoon.

The unidentified truck driver from Alabama also suffered fatal injuries in the truck accident. Authorities said he was badly burned, and an autopsy would be performed to determine if other factors caused him to cross over the interstate median.

The passenger van was carrying a Mennonite family on its way to a wedding in Iowa. The passengers have been identified as extended members of the Esh family of Cumberland County, in south central Kentucky. According to the pastor of the Marrowbone Christian Brotherhood in Burkesville, KY, nine of the van’s passengers were congregants at the church. The victims include an engaged couple and family members who reportedly lost their home to a fire in December. They had recently moved into a new home built by fellow church members.

MAP

View Larger Map

The wreckage of the truck accident was strewn across the interstate’s northbound lanes. Highway crews were brought in to clear the debris from the traffic lanes.

State Police closed down the south lanes of I-65 so that medical helicopters could land. They also closed the northbound lanes of the highway in the area around the truck accident site so troopers could reconstruct the head on collision and crews could work at the scene.

Traffic was being diverted off the interstate at Exit 58 and directed to local highways which would bring them back on I-65 at Exit 91. The northbound lanes would remain closed for the entire morning, reopening early Friday afternoon.

STREET VIEW

View Larger Map

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was sending as team to investigate the truck accident scene, in addition to Kentucky State police.

No charges have been made at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.

---

Truck Accidents 360 is a truck accident attorney & lawyer directory that also reports on up to date truck accidents across the United States.