Updated September 4 at 9:33 p.m.
The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office said two people were killed and another was critically injured in a head-on collision Thursday afternoon on the U.S. 60 bypass near the KY 54 overpass.
According to a release from the Sheriff’s Office, the crash happened around 4:15 p.m. when an eastbound passenger car lost control just before the KY 54 off ramp, overcorrected, crossed the median, and struck a westbound pickup truck head-on. The passenger car caught fire on impact, and both vehicles sustained catastrophic damage, officials said.
Sheriff Brad Youngman said two off-duty Whitesville firefighters witnessed the collision and were the first to respond. Emergency crews from the Sheriff’s Office, Daviess County Fire Department, Thruston Fire Department, and AMR Ambulance Service also responded.
The Sheriff’s Office said firefighters extricated the pickup driver after the fire was extinguished. He was taken to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital in critical condition and later flown by Air Evac to a Louisville hospital, according to the release. The driver and passenger of the sedan were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Daviess County Coroner’s Office.
The roadway was closed for about five hours and reopened at 9:15 p.m. The Sheriff’s Office said the crash remains under investigation by its Accident Reconstruction Unit with assistance from the Criminal Investigations Division and the Owensboro Police Department Crime Scene Unit. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and Kentucky State Police helped with traffic control due to heavy congestion in the area.
