SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky.– Police in Kentucky are actively looking for a big rig wrecker driver after leaving the scene of a crash early Saturday morning.
Kentucky State Police (KSP) said in a media release that its troopers responded to a two-vehicle injury collision on Interstate 65 northbound at the 112-mile marker near Shepherdsville early Monday morning. Bullitt County Dispatch contacted KSP just before midnight requesting troopers and an accident reconstructionist respond to investigate a fatal collision.
The preliminary investigation revealed that Luis Gonzalez Perez, 34, of Louisville, was operating a wrecker that had been hooked to a bobtail tractor parked on the shoulder of the roadway. The tractor was facing northbound, while the wrecker was facing southbound to transport the bobtail tractor. Perez attempted to make a U-turn across all three northbound lanes of Interstate 65 to travel northbound.
Police say as the wrecker was turning northbound, it was struck by a 2007 Ford Focus operated by Shawn Franklin, 43, of North Carolina. Franklin sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to University of Louisville Hospital. He was pronounced deceased at University of Louisville hospital by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.
Perez was not injured and left the scene following the collision. Troopers and other law enforcement agencies are actively attempting to locate Perez. Charges are pending and will be forthcoming through the Bullitt County Attorney’s Office.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
