KY officer injured in crash. Driver accused of using drugs, faces charges
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- David Huggins was arrested after allegedly causing an impaired crash in Louisville.
- Kentucky State Trooper Lukas Jones had minor injuries and was treated at Jewish Hospital.
- Huggins faces charges of assault, aggravated DUI and leaving the scene of an accident.
A Kentucky man has been arrested after he allegedly caused a crash that injured a Kentucky State Police trooper while driving under the influence of drugs in Louisville.
The crash happened around 3:50 p.m. Wednesday in the 15000 block of Dixie Highway, about 4 miles south of the Gene Snyder Freeway. State police said David Huggins, 33, was traveling southbound and rear-ended a pickup truck, causing the truck to spin into the northbound lanes of Dixie Highway.
The collision stemmed from a road rage incident, according to court documents.
Trooper Lukas Jones, who was driving northbound on Dixie Highway, hit the passenger side of the pickup truck with his cruiser, according to state police. Jones was taken to Jewish Hospital and treated for minor injuries before being released.
The driver of the pickup truck was taken to University of Louisville Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to state police.
Huggins fled the crash scene but was later found in Hardin County. Court documents say he called 911 when he got home, and later told police he fled the scene because he wanted to get his sick girlfriend home.
Huggins also admitted to taking kratom before the crash, according to court documents. Kratom is an illegal drug used to treat pain, coughing, diarrhea, anxiety and depression, but its effects can cause liver toxicity, seizures and substance use disorder, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Huggins performed field sobriety tests and showed multiple signs of impairment. A blood test was taken, and results are pending, according to court documents.
Huggins is charged with two counts of assault, aggravated DUI and leaving the scene of an accident — failure to render aid or assistance. He is scheduled to be arraigned in Jefferson District Court Thursday, according to court records.
State police’s Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the crash.
