Henderson City Police Public Information Officer Jennifer Richmond has issued the following release concerning Wednesday night’s multi-vehicle crash on US 41 North:
Involved Person(s): Unit 1 – Driver – Wilber Smith 80YOA Providence, KY
Passenger – Claudia Smith 80YOA Providence, KY
Passenger – Deborah Newman 55YOA Providence, KY
Unit 2 – Driver – Alexander Knoebel 23YOA Henderson, KY
Unit 3 – Driver – Joshua Raymer 39YOA Evansville, IN
Synopsis:
On 8/22/2018, officers responded to a fatal accident in the 1900 block of US 41 North. Wilber Smith stated that he was crossing US 41 North from Barret Blvd to Park Way Drive when he collided with a 2011 Chevrolet pickup driven by Alexander Knoebel which was southbound. Knoebel’s truck then slid across US 41 North into the path of a northbound FedEx semi tractor trailer. The tractor trailer then struck Knoebel’s truck. There was no way for the semi to avoid striking Knoebel’s truck or for Knoebel to avoid the collision. The collision ended with the tractor trailer and Knoebel’s truck on Thornton’s property.
Henderson County Coroner Bruce Farmer stated that Alexander Knoebel died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the accident.
Dashcam video from another northbound truck and surveillance video from Thornton’s was retrieved. Both videos show the accident and support statements made by witnesses. All lanes of US 41 North between Barret Blvd and the Cloverleaf were closed for seven hours for accident reconstruction due to the fact that the accident scene covered all lanes of travel. No other injuries were reported and alcohol was not a factor. At this time, there are no criminal charges.
We would like to thank the Henderson Fire Department, Henderson Ambulance Service, Henderson County Coroner’s Office, Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, Kentucky State Police, Rideout’s Towing, Tri-State Towing & Recovery, Thorntons, FedEx, Kentucky Office of Highway Safety, and everyone else that assisted at the scene. This accident scene was very large and had many elements involved. It takes a team to properly see to the victims and to do a thorough investigation while ensuring the safety of all involved.