Tractor-trailer driver arrested over incident that caused fatal pileup on I-65 in Ky.
An incident involving two tractor-trailers on Interstate 65 in Kentucky late Thursday afternoon resulted in a chain of crashes that left an 18-year-old dead and sent several other people to the hospital.
The driver of one of the semi trucks has been arrested and charged.
It began when the two commercial vehicles, which were heading north in parallel lanes of I-65 in Hart County, “made minor contact in a side swipe motion,” Kentucky State Police said in a news release.
Police said the driver of one of the tractor-trailers, Travis R. Williams, 49, of Sheridan, Ind., sped up and moved in front of the other, then stopped in the road in front of it.
With both semi trucks stopped in the right lane near the 59 mile marker, state police said “a chain of collisions” ensued at about 5:45 p.m. Six vehicles were involved.
Dallas R. Woodard, 18, of Rineyville, was driving a Ford F-250 pickup that crashed into the back of one of the trailers. He was pronounced dead at the scene, state police said in the release.
Kiarra Padilla, 21, of Battletown, was taken by helicopter to the University of Louisville Hospital, and two other drivers were taken to T.J. Samson Community Hospital for treatment, according to the release.
Williams was charged with first-degree wanton endangerment and taken to the Hart County Jail. He was being held Saturday on $25,000 bond, according to the jail website.
This story was originally published December 16, 2023 at 3:25 PM.
