A nine vehicle chain-reaction crash resulted in one fatality and multiple injuries in Kentucky over the weekend.
The accident happened on the morning of June 27th in Paducah, Kentucky.
According to Fox 17, truck driver Narinder Kumar was heading west on Interstate 24 near mile marker 3 when he encountered slow traffic but was unable to stop. Kumar plowed into the back of a Toyota Highlander, causing it to overturn, and then crashed into seven other vehicles before the rig came to a stop against a median barrier cable.
A mother and her three children were inside of the Highlander at the time of the wreck and all four were seriously injured. One of the children in the car, a four-year-old girl named Emery, later died at the hospital.
Six other people were also injured in the crash and five were transported to a nearby hospital while a sixth was airlifted to an out-of-state hospital. That person is reportedly now in stable condition.
Kumar was unhurt in the accident.
Police say that construction on the Ohio River bridge was likely a factor in the crash and also contributed to a fatal wreck earlier in the month.
“We’ve been in contact with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to ask them to assess the area to determine if there are other options regarding the approach to the construction zone. It appears lack of attention is the main cause of this and most other collisions. Drivers need to be aware of their surroundings and pay attention to signage and reduced speed limits,” said Paducah Police Chief Laird.