Man rushed to UK Hospital with burns after Central Kentucky explosion, police say
Authorities across multiple Central Kentucky counties worked Wednesday to get a man to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital as quick as possible after he was badly burned in an explosion, according to Nicholasville police.
The man was working on a dump truck at a Nicholasville construction site on Brannon Meadow Way when the explosion occurred, according to police Sgt. Kevin Grimes. The man was taken to UK Hospital by ambulance with life-threatening burns, Grimes said.
Nicholasville authorities asked Lexington police to help control traffic to get the ambulance to UK as fast as possible. Lexington police officers set up a route on Nicholasville Road by blocking off intersections to get the ambulance through, Lexington Lt. Chris Van Brackel said.
“An ambulance is a big beast, so if we can keep them from having to slow down it makes a big difference,” Van Brackel said.
Van Brackel said blocking off intersections also helped avoid a collision.
“You start with the major intersections and work your way down, just to try to get the ambulance the fastest route to the hospital you can,” he said.
Another injured man with less severe burns also was taken to the hospital, LEX18 reported.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the explosion, Grimes said. The Nicholasville Fire Department was still at the scene of the explosion Wednesday afternoon, he said.
This story was originally published August 25, 2021 at 1:28 PM.