LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. —
Almost two years after a Corbin businessman died from a head-on crash, the man charged with DUI and causing the crash was convicted of manslaughter.
Christopher Caudill, 32, of London, was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter and operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs/etc. by a Laurel jury last week. He was recommended to serve a 10-year sentence.
Caudill was driving eastbound on east Ky. 80 on Sept. 16, 2010, when witnesses say he swerved across the road as if he were losing control of his vehicle. Caudill’s 2004 Chevrolet pickup truck hit a 2006 Chevy van driven by 42-year-old Willie D. Smith of Corbin. The accident occurred near Grubb Road around 8:13 p.m.
Smith was pinned inside the vehicle and had to be extricated by members of the London-Laurel County Rescue Squad. He was pronounced dead from massive internal injuries within an hour after the crash. He was the owner of Ultimate Shine Car Wash and Smith’s Grocery in Manchester.
Inside Caudill’s vehicle was a bottle of liquor and police investigating the accident said speed was also a factor in the collision that cost Smith his life.
Caudill was indicted on murder and DUI by a Laurel grand jury just two months after the accident. He was found guilty of second-degree manslaughter and DUI.
The accident was investigated by Officer Jerry Jones of the Kentucky State Police Vehicle Enforcement, while Jones was a deputy with the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office. He was assisted at the scene by accident reconstructionalists Trooper First Class Don Trosper and Trooper Lloyd Cochran with the Kentucky State Police and Sgt. Chuck Johnson with the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office.
njohnson@sentinel-echo.com
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Willie D. Smith was killed when his 2006 Chevrolet van was struck by a 2004 Chevrolet pickup driven by Christopher L. Caudill on east Ky. 80 Sept. 16, 2010. ARCHIVED PHOTO BY CAROL MILLS
July 10, 2012
London man convicted of manslaughter
DUI caused 2010 fatal crash
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