Rescuers respond to an accident near the 59-mile marker on I-24 last Thursday. The accident claimed the life of Ruth D. Choate of Princeton, and required the helicopter evacuation of two passengers.
The Kentucky State Police said that the accident occurred in the eastbound lane of I-24, near the 59-mile marker at approximately 9 a.m. A report released by the KSP said that Choate’s SUV approached a slower moving tractor-trailer in the same lane and swerved left to avoid the truck. While missing the semi, she lost control of her vehicle and entered the median of the freeway, where the SUV began to roll. The tumble ejected Choate from the vehicle, pinning her beneath. County Coroner John Mark Vinson pronounced her dead at the scene. The accident report listed her seatbelt usage as “unknown.”
Rescuers used two helicopters to evacuate passengers Juanita R. Hollowell, 66, and Sylvia Hopper, 56, both of Princeton to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. KSP troopers reduced eastbound travel at the accident site to the shoulder during the rescue and closed it to all traffic twice, for about 15 minutes, to allow the two helicopters to land. Air Evac Lifeteam and Vanderbilt Hospital provided aircraft for the two women.
The accident report said that Hollowell wore a seatbelt and listed Hopper’s seatbelt usage as “unknown.”
For the rest of this story, read this week's Cadiz Record.
