One of the owners of Williamsburg’s Ngoc Kitchen had to be flown out by emergency medical helicopter Saturday morning after the moped she was driving collided with a pick-up truck near Exit 15, and her restaurant is temporarily closed because of the crash.
About 9:50 a.m., Richard Vance, 60, of King Mt. Spur, was driving a 2002 Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck north on US25W when he went to make a left hand turn into the parking lot of the Shell Station near Exit 15, said Williamsburg Assistant Police Chief Brandon White.
Vance turned into the path of a 2024 Honda moped, which was heading south on US25W and being driven by Ngoc Nguyen, 26, of East KY-204. Nguyen was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
Vance told police that he looked but just didn’t see Nguyen, White said.
Nguyen was on her way to work driving straight when the pick-up truck turned in front of her into the gas station, she wrote on the restaurant’s Facebook page Sunday.
She wrote the pick-up driver was very scared and held her hand until the ambulance arrived, and that he may have prayed for her.
“He told our family that he hadn’t seen me,” Nguyen wrote. “I don’t blame him either.”
Whitley County EMS transported Nguyen to the Williamsburg-Whitley County Airport. She was then transported by PHi Air Medical to the University of Kentucky Medical Center.
Nguyen sustained “very serious injuries” in the crash, White said.
Nguyen wrote on Facebook Sunday that she suffered a fractured pelvis, a broken femur, fluid around her aorta and that the back of her head was bruised. She had surgery Sunday and thanked everyone for their prayers.
Nguyen is the co-owner and chef at the restaurant. Ngoc Kitchen announced on its Facebook page Saturday that it will be closed, and a reopening date is unknown.
“I will try to reopen as soon as possible,” Nguyen wrote on the page.
Williamsburg City Councilwoman Laurel Jeffries West wrote on Facebook that this is the family’s only income.
“They have worked hard, and now their income has come to an indefinite halt. I’m asking our community to come together and donate what you can to help with their monthly bills, travel expenses to and from U.K. hospital, meals while away from home, etc.,” West wrote.
Dalton Rhoades has a CashApp where people can send cash directly to the family.
“If you don’t have this app yet, it’s easy to download and use,” West added.
Rhoades CashApp information is listed on the Ngoc Kitchen, City of Williamsburg, KY and West’s Facebook pages.
No drug or alcohol involvement is suspected in Saturday’s crash. There were no charges filed because of the accident.
Vance was not injured during the crash.
White is investigating the crash. Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Matt Leach, Whitley County EMS and an unknown volunteer firefighter assisted at the scene.
