EDDYVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — State Police said a teen was killed and 22 other people were injured, some critically, when a semi-trailer truck slammed into nearly a dozen vehicles Friday in far western Kentucky.
Authorities said the crash occurred around 4:30 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of Interstate Highway 24 near Eddyville in Lyon County.
The Lyon County Coroner said 19-year-old Jace Ashton Lee Smothers, of Norton, Kansas, was killed in the crash.
Officials said 42- year-old Coleman A Strachman of Sharpsburg, North Carolina, was driving a semi when it slammed into traffic near the 51 mile marker, causing a chain reaction involving 12 vehicles.
“Witnesses’ state and early investigation indicates that inattention on behalf of the semi driver appears to be a contributing factor in the collision,” Kentucky State Police said in a statement.
Police said 22 others were injured in the crash, including two who were in critical condition.
Officials said Smothers was in a van registered to Christ in Youth Inc. in Joplin, Missouri.
KSP was continuing to investigate the crash.
