Report: Trucker in van crash talking on cell phone

The truck driver who crossed a median and crashed into a van on March 26 on Interstate 65 south of Louisville, Ky., killing 10 people and himself, was talking on a cell phone and may have been speeding, according to a state police accident report.

The Louisville Courier-Journal obtained the report that says the truck’s driver, Kenneth E. Laymon, was distracted and did not have his tractor-trailer under control when it crossed the median. The report says another truck driver estimated Laymon was traveling at 80 mph.

State police also estimated that Laymon, of Fayette, Ala., may have been traveling faster than the posted 70 mph speed limit based on the impact on the van and the damage to the truck when it struck a rock wall.

The report tentatively ruled out weather or truck mechanical problems as crash causes. A toxicological report is still pending, although drunk driving has been ruled out as a cause.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are also conducting investigations.

Laymon drove for Hester Inc., also of Fayette, Ala., the newspaper reported.


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