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Fatal Truck Accident Kills 11 in Kentucky

A recent head-on collision between a passenger van and a tractor-trailer resulted in the death of 10 of the 12 van passengers, as well as the truck driver, in the second deadliest auto accident in Kentucky since 1988.

The fatal truck accident occurred March 26 when a van carrying 12 members of a Mennonite family was struck by a tractor-trailer that crossed the I-65 highway median in Munfordville. The van was occupied by an engaged couple and several family members on their way to another couple's wedding in Iowa. Two children were the only survivors in the van.

After crossing the highway median and slamming head-on into the van, the tractor-trailer, loaded with auto parts, smashed into a rock wall and burst into flames, killing the driver on-site.

The National Transportation Safety Board has taken over the investigation to determine the factors that led to the crash, but the investigation will take several months.

Cable barriers were installed along the stretch of I-65 where the accident occurred, but were unable to prevent the fully loaded truck from crossing the median and striking the van. These cables were a temporary install in 2009 while a project for permanent concrete barriers and a widening of the highway was in consideration.

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