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2 car accident
By Carolyn Reid
A two-vehicle accident at the intersection of State Route 22 and U.S. 27 injured three people and shut down U.S. 27 at the intersection for hours.
Emergency crews were called to the scene at approximately 4 p.m. Friday afternoon. A pickup truck and a minivan had collided head-on, according to initial reports, and a female passenger in the truck had been ejected and suffered broken bones and other trauma. The driver of the truck and the driver of the minivan, both males, were also injured and were transported.
Due to weather conditions, no medical helicopters could respond to the scene.
According to Sheriff Jared Brewer, the Kentucky State Police were called in to reconstruct the scene due to multiple vehicles being involved along with the passenger ejection. The investigation was slowed due to strong storms coming through.
Another dangerous situation was introduced during the shut-down as drivers used the Catawba/Ed Monroe Road route around the scene. The road is not made for volumes of two-way traffic, and an alert reported cars were even at a stand-still on that route due to their inability to pass each other in certain areas.
To further complicate matters, State Route 609 was blocked by fallen trees and debris, further frustrating driver efforts.
Emergency management recommended drivers use the State Route 177 to State Route 159 in order to detour around the scene.
The highway was reopened just before 9 p.m. The cause is still under investigation.