ERLANGER, Ky. — Erlanger police have released the identity of a man killed on I-71/I-75 in Northern Kentucky after he was hit by a semi truck.
Police said the man, who was not in a car at the time of the crash, has been identified as Javier Lemus, of Cincinnati.
Dispatchers said all southbound lanes of I-71/75 near I-275 were closed for multiple hours after a crash involving a pedestrian at around 3 a.m. Monday morning. Hours later, Erlanger police confirmed the pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.
WATCH: Erlanger police share what they know about the fatal crash on I-71/75
We asked Erlanger Assistant Police Chief Michael Clark if police have determined yet why the person who was killed was walking on the highway at that hour.
"Not fully at this time, which is why the details are so limited," he said, mentioning that more information would be available once family members were notified. "There's just so many unanswered questions right now that we're trying to dig through."
The highway shutdown was necessary for the safety of drivers and to allow law enforcement to collect evidence, Clark said.
"We have great support and teamwork amongst all the Northern Kentucky agencies," he said. "We had multiple officers from different agencies having to walk the interstate, take photographs, outline (things), to understand and get a full picture of what was going on."
According to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the crash was just south of the I-275 interchange.
All morning, drivers were rerouted to I-275 while police investigated the fatal crash, according to Erlanger police. KYTC directed drivers in Ohio to detour by taking I-471 to I-275 westbound.
During the closure, police said drivers should plan for an alternate route and "allow for significant extra travel time."
"It was a mess ... it was bumper to bumper on there," said driver Kisha Hill, who took the detour on Monday, turning a normal 17-minute commute into an hour. "At some point, we were just sitting there waiting on the traffic to move."
Hill said she is sending prayers to the family, given how close the tragedy hits to home for her.
"I swear I've been through it," Hill said. "My cousin was hit on the expressway two years ago."
Hill's cousin, Reco Williams, was struck by a car and killed on I-75 while examining a disabled vehicle in November 2024, according to Cincinnati Police.
KYTC said it expected the southbound lanes to be blocked for "three to four hours," according to a release sent at 5:19 a.m. However, the highway did not reopen until around 11 a.m.
