By Mike Stunson
The Charlotte Observer
BOONE COUNTY, Ky. — An 89-year-old woman and her 91-year-old relative were killed in a crash that involved a dump truck slamming into a restaurant, Kentucky authorities say.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office said the two women were passengers in a Chevrolet Equinox that was stopped at an intersection in Walton on April 8. The 66-year-old driver of the SUV tried to make a left turn when the vehicle crossed into the path of a dump truck hauling gravel.
The dump truck driver, also 66, attempted to avoid a collision, but his truck crashed into the SUV, according to the sheriff. The SUV “exited the roadway, struck a guardrail and overturned, coming to rest on its top.”
Two relatives who were passengers in the SUV died at the scene, the sheriff said. They were identified as 91-year-old Eva Mulberry, of Williamstown, and 89-year-old Betty Hillard, of Lexington.
The dump truck also left the road, crashing into four parked vehicles and then slamming into Boonedocks Pub and Grub, authorities said. No one inside the business was injured.
There were six people inside the restaurant when the dump truck destroyed the front of the business, WCPO reported.
“We heard it, and then it came through the building, and then glass, everything just went everywhere. It sounded like a freight train going through a wall,” Amanda Dearing, who works at the restaurant, told WCPO.
Authorities said both drivers were taken to a hospital for treatment. The driver of the SUV had “critical life-threatening injuries,” and the dump truck driver “sustained minor injuries.”
Neither driver was believed to have been impaired or speeding at the time, the sheriff said. An investigation is ongoing.
Authorities believe that limited visibility of the intersection was a contributing factor in the crash.
Boonedocks Pub and Grub said in a Facebook post it was “deeply saddened by the tragic accident.”
“Everyone’s thoughts and prayers should be with the families of the two ladies whom lost their lives this evening as well as the driver of the vehicle that was struck and the driver of the dump truck,” the family-owned business said. “This truly was a horrific and tragic accident.”
The sheriff said both drivers have cooperated in its investigation, noting that neither driver has been charged.
Walton is about a 65-mile drive north from Lexington .
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