Name of victim, 32, released in fatal truck crashes that closed I-75 for hours
Two crashes involving tractor-trailers shut down more than two miles of southbound Interstate 75 in Lexington for nearly 10 hours Tuesday.
The first collision happened at 2:52 a.m., when a tractor-trailer overturned north of the northern split with I-64, blocking the entire roadway, police said.
When traffic began to back up, a car collided with a separate tractor-trailer, according to police. The driver of the car, later identified as 32-year-old Jonathan Cole, was killed in the crash about 4:50 a.m., according to the Fayette County Coroner’s Office.
The interstate was shut down and traffic was diverted to Iron Works Pike, according to the Lexington Traffic Management Center. Traffic backed up on Iron Works Pike, shown in a picture from the traffic management center.
TRAFFIC ALERT: I-75S SHUTDOWN AT 120 MM UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. SERIOUS ACCIDENT AT 117 MM INVOLVING A SEMI. TRAFFIC DIVERTED TO IRON WORKS PIKE.
— lexwrecks (@lexwrecks) December 19, 2017
The left lane of the interstate reopened just after 10 a.m., according to the traffic management center. The rest of the lanes reopened just after 1 p.m.
TRAFFIC ADVISORY ALERT:
— Lexington Police (@lexkypolice) December 19, 2017
I-75 southbound at the 120 Mile Marker is shutdown until further notice due to a collision at the 117 Mile Marker. All traffic is being diverted onto Iron Works Pike. Expect delays for several hours. Please plan for delays and look for alternate routes.
Mike Stunson: 859-231-1324, @mike_stunson
This story was originally published December 19, 2017 at 7:03 AM with the headline "Name of victim, 32, released in fatal truck crashes that closed I-75 for hours."