Local
Driver Hospitalized After Car Plunges From Closed I-65 Ramp Into Downtown Louisville Construction Site
A driver was taken to UofL Hospital after his vehicle fell from a closed section of I-65 South at Hospital Curve and overturned onto Chestnut Street, police said. The crash has raised questions about how the driver accessed a construction zone where the roadway deck was missing.
A driver was hospitalized Wednesday afternoon after his vehicle plunged from a closed section of Interstate 65 South in downtown Louisville and overturned onto a street below, according to Louisville Metro Police.
Officers responded at about 1:45 p.m. to reports of a vehicle that had fallen from the elevated roadway into a construction area on Chestnut Street near First Street, LMPD said. The driver was taken to UofL Hospital alert and conscious, but police said his current condition was not immediately known.
According to police, the driver was able to get into the construction area and onto a closed portion of I-65 South at Hospital Curve. Investigators said he did not realize the roadway deck was missing and drove off the edge.
No other vehicles were involved in the incident. LMPD's Traffic Unit is investigating.
The crash occurred in a heavily traveled corridor where construction work has altered traffic patterns near the downtown medical district. Hospital Curve, a sharp bend in the interstate just south of downtown, is a familiar chokepoint for commuters and has been the site of numerous construction projects in recent years.
Police did not say how the driver entered the closed construction zone or whether any barricades or signage were in place at the time. The investigation is ongoing.