5-vehicle crash on I-71 in NKY sends 5 people to hospital

BOONE COUNTY, Ky. - Five people, including two children, were sent to local hospitals after multiple accidents on I-71 near Verona, Ky., Thursday night.

Amber Chandler, 31, of Covington was traveling northbound on I-71 near mile marker 72 in a Hyundai when her vehicle rear-ended a Ford Expedition and caused a chain reaction of collisions. The initial collision caused the Expedition to rear-end three other vehicles, all of which were previously stopped because of an accident that occurred earlier that evening.

After the initial collision, Chandler’s vehicle crossed through the median, across the southbound lanes, and into a ditch where it came to rest, according to the police report.

Police said Chandler and her three children, ages 7, 6 and 5, suffered injuries during the accident. All four were taken to area hospitals, including two of the children who were transported via medical helicopters.

The driver of the Expedition, Charles Terrell, 54, of Union, Ky., also suffered injuries and was transported to Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Florence, according to the police report.

Information on the nature of the victims’ injuries has not been released by police at this time.

Passengers in a Toyota Sienna van, Kevin Whaley, 38, and his 9-year-old and 6-year-old sons, all complained of injuries as a result of the accident, but none of them were taken to the hospital by emergency crews.

Mary Moorhead, 61, of Mainville, Ohio, and her passenger, Janet Moorhead, 59, of Naples, Fla., did not seek medical treatment, police say. The driver of the fourth car, Christopher Byrdwell, did not report any injuries to police.

Both the northbound and southbound lanes on stretches of I-71 near mile marker 72 were closed for more than two hours.

The cause of the initial accident was not released.

Both accidents remain under investigation.

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