Fayette County

Coroner identifies motorcyclist, bicyclist killed in deadly Lexington crash

The Lexington Police Department is investigating a crash that left a motorcyclist and bicyclist dead.

The collision happened around 7:10 p.m. Thursday at Mason Headley Road and Beacon Hill Road. Lexington police Lt. Dan Truex said the motorcyclist and bicyclist were declared dead on the scene.

The Fayette County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Zachary Blessing, 30, and Zachary Allen, 23. The coroner’s office said Blessing was the bicyclist traveling on Beacon Hill Road and Allen was the motorcyclist traveling on Mason Headley Road when the collision happened.

Both victims died from multiple blunt-force injuries, according to the coroner’s office. Their manners of death were listed as an accident.

The Collision Reconstruction Unit is investigating the crash, Truex said. The road was closed while officials investigated, but it has since been reopened.

It’s the second fatal crash involving a motorcycle in Lexington this year. The previous crash happened on Eastland Drive in April and killed Dakoda Evans, 30.

It’s the first crash this year that’s killed a bicyclist.

Overall, it is the 15th fatal collision in Lexington this year, and the third in 11 days, according to Kentucky State Police data.

In 2023, 52 people died in fatal collisions in Fayette County, according to KSP data. That is the highest number of deaths from crashes recorded in a single year in Fayette County since KSP began tracking deadly crashes in 2010.

This story was originally published August 16, 2024 at 7:35 AM.

Christopher Leach
Lexington Herald-Leader
Chris Leach is a breaking news reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He joined the newspaper in September 2021 after previously working with the Anderson News and the Cats Pause. Chris graduated from UK in December 2018. Support my work with a digital subscription
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