Victim of fatal Lexington crash was ‘a loving nurse,’ husband, colleagues say
The Lexington school nurse who was killed when she was hit by a vehicle Saturday worked hard to care for others, including on the day of her death, according to those who knew her.
Lynette Laine, 60, was hit by a car at the intersection of Sandersville Road and Atoma Drive late Saturday evening, according to Lexington police. She was sent to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, where she later died from her injuries, according to the Fayette County Coroner’s Office.
Laine was out for a walk at the time of the collision, according to her husband, David Laine. He said she only had time for exercise late in the evening because of how much time she spent caring for others.
Lynette Laine had been a nurse for about 40 years. As she got older and the nursing profession remained demanding, she took a step back and became a school nurse for the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.
Kevin Hall, a spokesperson for the health department, said she had been in that role since November 2021. She worked for Carter G. Woodson Preparatory Academy and Rise STEM Academy for Girls. Yolanda Loveless, the school health manager for the health department, said Laine loved working with kids and made a great school nurse.
“She was honestly a loving nurse who loved the kids and she would always tell me how much she loved school nursing,” Loveless said.
David Laine said kids would often come up with excuses to visit the nurse’s office just so they could visit her.
“She’s the only person I know who could treat a bruised arm, a leg or headache with a piece of peppermint,” David Laine said.
When Lynette Laine wasn’t taking care of kids, she would spend her free time caring for her mother along with her sisters. She had been doing so for five to six years, including the evening she was killed.
David Laine visited the schools and the health department Monday to share the news of his wife’s death. He said the experience was helpful for him as he processes the grief from his wife’s death.
“We had an emotional time this morning,” he said. “The administrators and staff at those schools were grieving. They obviously loved her. We were impressed with the outpouring of tears and the hugs and how they loved the lady.”
Hall said grief counselors have been made available at the schools and health department for those coping with the tragedy.
The driver who struck Lynette Laine fled the scene after the collision, according to police. The accident was still under investigation by police Monday afternoon.
