The eastbound lanes of Interstate 24 reopened Saturday morning after being closed for over 12-hours due to a fatal multiple-vehicle wreck in Lyon County that claimed the life a Kansas teen and injured thirteen people.
State police report a preliminary investigation shows twelve vehicles were involved in the collision in the eastbound lanes around the 51-mile marker near the Lyon-Caldwell County line. Police say the initial investigation indicates 42-year old Coleman Strachman of Sharpsburg, North Carolina was driving a semi-trailer when his “inattention” caused him to collide into traffic that was stopped or slowed, due to a construction zone around the 51-mile marker. Police say 19-year old Jace Ashton Lee Smothers of Norton, Kansas, who was one of several passengers in a Christ in Youth, Inc. van out of Joplin, Missouri, was pronounced deceased on the scene by the Lyon County Coroner.
According to a post on the Ozark Christian College website, Smothers was serving on staff with the Christ In Youth (CIY) ministry this summer. College officials say another Ozark student, Brandon Musselman, escaped with minor injuries and three interns with the ministry — Katie Danhour, Andie Montgomery, and Tyler Conway — are in stable condition.
State police say 22 people appeared to have been involved in the wreck. Four people were flown to TriStar Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, one person was flown to Deaconess Midtown hospital in Evansville, and eight people were transported by ambulances to other area hospitals. Two victims were reportedly in critical condition. Police indicate the remaining individuals were released. At this time, police have not released the names of the victims injured in the wreck.
According to police, Strachman’s inattention was a “contributing factor in the collision.”.
State police were assisted at the scene by multiple agencies, including emergency personnel from Trigg, Lyon, and Caldwell counties.
The multiple vehicle crash occurred shortly after 4:30 Friday afternoon forcing the closure of the eastbound lanes on Interstate 24, which reopened around 5:30 Saturday morning.
Kentucky State Police audio of the briefing is below.
