One man was seriously injured after this two-car crash on US 25E in Corbin Tuesday afternoon.
LOL turned into OMG in the blink of an eye Tuesday when Marshellia French, 41, of Corbin glanced up from her cell phone to see the Pontiac sedan in which Roseanna Warren was riding, looming large in her windshield. The ensuing rear end collision when French failed to stop, resulted in Warren, 44, of Gray, being airlifted to the University of Kentucky Medical Center.
Corbin Police say French said she was texting on her phone as she approached the intersection of U.S. 25E and Master Street about 11:45 a.m. The driver of the Pontiac, Norm McCreary, 55, of Gray, who had the green light, had turned left from Master Street onto U.S. 25E. The light changed and French continued through the intersection but failed to stop before she collided with McCreary.
Corbin firefighters were called to the scene and used the Jaws-of-Life to remove both doors on the passenger’s side in order to extricate Warren.
Traffic was rerouted through the Kmart parking lot and onto North Commonwealth Ave. while a helicopter landed on the roadway to transport Warren.
According to officals at UK, Warran is listed in serious condition.
The roadway was shut down for more than an hour as emergency personnel worked to clear the scene.
Neither French nor McCreary were transported to the hospital. Officer Steve Meadors, who is investigating the incident, said French went to the doctor on her own. She was expected at the Corbin Police Department later Tuesday afternoon to produce proof of insurance.
A law enacted in Jan. 2011 prohibits texting while driving. Offenders face a $25 fine for a first offense, plus court costs.
While neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected to be factors in the crash, Meadors said French will be cited for texting while driving.
According to Kentucky State Police drivers who are texting are 23 percent more likely to be involved in a crash and often display the driving characteristics of a person who is driving under the influence of alcohol.
