Mortar-Shell Transport Hits Truck; 50 Homes Evacuated
A truck carrying mortar shells rammed another truck on Interstate 65 on Friday, forcing the evacuation of about 50 homes within a 1 1/2-mile radius. Two people were injured, one seriously.
State police said the evacuation order, affecting a largely rural stretch between Bonnieville and Munfordville, was issued in case the shells should explode.
The truck carrying the explosives was removed from the northbound lanes of the interstate to nearby U.S. 31W, which was then closed to traffic.
Police said the explosives truck slammed into the rear of a one-ton truck in the right emergency lane. None of the shells exploded although both trucks caught fire.
Firefighters rushed to extinguish the flames and then removed the truck carrying the shells from the smoldering wreckage.
State police were awaiting the arrival of Army explosive experts from Fort Knox to remove the explosives and examine them.
A passenger in the explosives truck was seriously injured when the rig’s gas tank caught fire. Roger Jenks, of Clarksville, Ind., was flown by helicopter to a Louisville hospital burn unit in critical condition, police said.
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