Michael A. Schafer Blog

Wrongful Death and Fatal Accidents

11/10/2008
Mike Schafer
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I-75 Wreck Kills Two Students

Early Sunday afternoon November 9th a car carrying three college students wrecked on northbound I-75 in Rockcastle County. Two of the occupants were killed and the third has suffered multiple injuries.

The accident occurred when the car the young men were in lost control and crossed the median and hit a tractor-trailer traveling southbound. The two fatalities are Thomas B. May, a 20-year-old from Louisville, Ky and Bradley A. Hall, an 18-year-old from Rockfield. The third person has been identified as Ben M. Cooley of Harrodsburg. Cooley was transported to University of Kentucky Hospital where his condition has not been released.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was taken to Rockcastle County Hospital as a precaution. He has been identified as 51-year-old James Donaldson of Oregon, Ohio.

The three students were active in Baptist Campus Ministry at UK and were returning after a fall retreat at Laurel Lake. They will all be missed greatly.

One of the first questions that come up after a tragedy such as this is the question of seatbelts and whether the victims were wearing them. In this case all three of the occupants of the car as well as the driver of the tractor-trailer were wearing seatbelts. Recently I wrote an article and posted it on my website on the installation of cable barriers on several stretches of Kentucky highways in an effort to prevent crossover accidents. There have been many fatalities in Kentucky that have been attributed to crossover accidents. Hopefully these cable barriers will go up along more highway stretches in the future. For more information on Louisville, Ky personal injury attorney Mike Schafer go to www.mikeschaferlaw.com.