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Deadly Kentucky Crash Has Ties to Cell Phone Use

A Kentucky State Police report has found that trucker Kenneth Laymon, who was involved in a March 26 crash killing 10 people and himself, was taking and receiving cell phone calls up to the crash and could have also been speedin

by Staff
May 6, 2010
1 min to read


A Kentucky State Police report has found that trucker Kenneth Laymon, who was involved in a March 26 crash killing 10 people and himself, was taking and receiving cell phone calls up to the crash and could have also been speeding
, according to reports by The Courier-Journal.

Laymon, from Alabama, was a driver for Hester Inc., which runs 25 tractor-trailers. On March 26, he was driving on Interstate 65 near Munfordville, Ky., and crossed the median, hitting a van in a head-on collision that killed himself and 10 people in the van.

According to published reports, tread marks left by the tractor-trailer in the dirt of the median between the northbound and southbound lanes of I-65 turn into smooth tire tracks several feet before the site of the crash. Christopher Hart, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, said the shift from tread marks to smooth tire tracks could indicate the southbound rig's brakes were locked up in the seconds before the collision.

However, the newest police report says Laymon did not have control of the vehicle when he crashed into the van. The report also cites a witness, who says Laymon was traveling at 80 mph, according to the The Courier-Journal.

The NTSB and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are still investigating the case.

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