Local News
Related Photos
-
Photo by Tara Kaprowy
-
Photo by Tara Kaprowy
-
Photo by Tara Kaprowy
Truck filled with coal crashes into minivan
A ditch was filled with more than 17 tons of coal and a string of traffic lights was yanked down after a coal truck struck a minivan Thursday.
Around 9:45 a.m., Billy Wilson, 30, was driving a J.R. Edwards Trucking Company coal truck westbound on Hal Rogers Parkway at the same time that Linda Madden was getting ready to turn left onto KY 30 from the parkway’s eastbound lane.
What happened next is unclear, but “someone ran a light,” London Police Officer Nick Jones said. “
It’s still under investigation. She said she had a green light, he said he had a green light.”
Wilson, who was reportedly driving fast, struck the minivan’s front passenger side, knocked into a traffic light pole and turned into a ditch, spilling the coal.
Sondra Woods, of Greenmount, was almost caught in the collision.
“He was coming at a good speed,” she said. “She followed the concrete truck — and thought the light was green. He got on two wheels to keep from hitting me. The truck rose up, hit the light, and down he went.”
Woods said she wasn’t sure if the light was green for Wilson or not. Either way, she said she was relieved to avoid the accident.
“I’m very lucky today,” she said.
Neither Wilson nor Woods were seriously injured. A 17-year-old male teenager, who was sitting in the minivan’s passenger seat, was also not hurt.
Wilson and Woods were wearing their seat belts. Use of drugs or alcohol are not suspected.
Kentucky Transporta-tion Cabinet workers put up a temporary wooden pole and had the traffic lights working by about 6 p.m. Thursday evening.
ECO-Tech workers handled the clean-up, which involved scooping up the coal and putting it into a container. The coal that could be salvaged was brought to a site in East Bernstadt. The rest was brought to the Laurel Ridge Landfill.
Jones was assisted at the scene by the London Police Department, London Fire Department, Ambulance Inc. of Laurel County, Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, ECO Tech USA LLC, and Laurel County Division of Public Safety and Emergency Management.
- Local News
-
-
‘A plaza of justice’
Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice John D. Minton describes Laurel County’s new judicial center as “a perfect addition to downtown London.”
-
As metal prices go up, so do thefts
Every few weeks for the past four months, property has disappeared from Robert Westerfield’s land. The thefts happen in broad daylight and, each time, different vehicles with different drivers show up to openly steal the items. When it happens, whether it’s an antique wood burning stove, an air compressor or an old welder that goes missing, Westerfield gets angry.
-
Looking for a bargain?
Promising bargains and kitsch, the East Ky. 80 yard sale kicked off Thursday, an event that is expected to snake along the highway for a whopping 26 miles.
-
Man arrested for peeping into teen girl’s window
After being caught reportedly peeping in the windows of a Ninth Street home, a London man was charged with voyeurism Sunday and taken to jail.
-
It's empty. Now what?
“What happened in Corbin will not happen in London” is the message Saint Joseph-London administrators want to make clear about the state of the now-vacant hospital on the hill.
-
New sign advertises vets’ parade
Thousands of people will now get the news about London’s Welcome Home parade and celebration for Vietnam veterans as they drive by on Interstate 75.
-
Man injured by boat propeller
A Berea fisherman is in stable condition after his legs were mangled by his boat propeller Thursday on Laurel River Lake.
-
Court approves property tax rates
Laurel County Fiscal Court voted Thursday to leave tax rates just the way they are.
-
Group seeks to improve lifestyle habits
With officials becoming increasingly concerned about the area’s health, a group of stakeholders has formed a new committee, “Creating a Healthier Laurel County.”
-
Tobacco time
Under the bright sun, Kevin Cornett slowly drove his tractor Wednesday as a line of tobacco plants marched over his head. Beside him, his brother Brent drove a tractor pulling a trailer on which the yellow-green plants collected.
- More Local News Headlines
-
