Laurel County Sheriff’s deputies are trying to determine what, if any, part alcohol or drugs played in a head-on collision Saturday on U.S. 25, which resulted in six people being airlifted to the University of Kentucky Medical Center and the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
According to Laurel County Sheriff’s Deputy Sergeant Greg Poynter, five people were airlifted from the scene about a mile north of the junction of U.S. 25E and 25W in Corbin about 10 a.m. Saturday. A sixth person was taken to Baptist Regional Medical Center and then airlifted to UK.
Poynter said the wreck occurred when a 1989 Chevrolet pickup truck driven by Rachel Hubbard, 36, of London, crossed the centerline as it was traveling south and stuck the 2003 Pontiac Grand Am, driven by Chassidy Wilson, 30, of Gray, which was traveling north. Deputies found a bottle of alcohol in the truck.
West Knox Firefighters and members of the Laurel County Rescue Squad had to use the Jaws of Life to cut the top off of the cab of the truck and force open the doors of the car to extricate the occupants. In addition to Hubbard and Wilson, the victims included four passengers in the Grand Am, Donny G. Wilson, 34, of Gray, two juvenile females and one juvenile male.
"It sounded like a gunshot," one witness said of the collision, adding that drivers’ excessive speed has made wrecks on that stretch of roadway a regular occurrence.
Rumors spread of another victim who fled the scene but was brought into Saint Joseph-London later that day for treatment of injuries sustained in the wreck. However, Poynter said a check of area hospitals turned up no one and the accident scene made it unlikely.
"We heard that a woman ran off from the truck, but we were unable to locate anyone," Poynter said. We checked with Saint Joseph but no one was brought in. I don’t see how anyone could have run off from the truck since they had to cut the roof off to get the people out."
U.S. 25 in both directions was closed to traffic for more than six hours as emergency personnel worked to clear the scene.
Kentucky State Police Accident Reconstructionist Greg Hill was called to work with Laurel County Sheriff’s Det. Richard Dalrymple.
Sheriff Fred Yaden said the results of the investigation will be presented to a Laurel County Grand Jury to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.
Laurel County Sheriff’s deputies, Ambulance Inc. of Laurel County, Knox County EMS, Laurel County Rescue Squad and West Knox Fire Department responded to the scene.
