Kentucky State Police Post Four is searching for a Louisville man after a fatal collision on Interstate 65 in Bullitt County.
According to the KSP, at around midnight on August 15 troopers responded to a report of a two-vehicle collision at the 112-mile marker of I-65 North near Shepherdsville. The preliminary investigation indicates that Luis Gonzalez Perez was operating a southbound-facing wrecker hooked to a northbound-facing bobtail tractor parked on the shoulder of the roadway. Perez allegedly attempted to make a u-turn across the three northbound lanes in order to transport the tractor.
As the wrecker was turning, it was struck by a passenger vehicle operated by 43-year-old Shawn Franklin of North Carolina. Franklin sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to the University of Louisville Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.
Perez was not injured and fled the scene. The KSP and other law enforcement agencies are actively attempting to locate Perez, with charges through the Bullitt County Attorney’s Office pending. The KSP’s investigation of the collision is ongoing.
Meanwhile, the Upton Fire Department is reminding drivers of the importance of being aware of emergency vehicles while driving on the highway.
According to the fire department, at around 10 p.m. on August 15 firefighters responded to a single-vehicle accident on I-65 North near the 81-mile marker. While crews were working the scene, an Upton Fire Department apparatus was positioned to protect emergency responders and provide advance warning to approaching motorists. The apparatus was struck, with no injuries to firefighters or civilians as a result of the secondary location.
In a Facebook post, the fire department said this is the second time one of their vehicles was struck while working an accident scene on I-65. The fire department is asking drivers to do their part in protecting emergency responders by remaining alert, slowing down, and moving over when approaching emergency vehicles and personnel working on the side of the roadway.
