Westbound Western Kentucky Parkway will be closed Monday afternoon while Kentucky State Police conduct a fatal accident reconstruction.
The closure between Leitchfield and Caneyville will begin at 1:00 Monday afternoon and continue until approximately 4:00 p.m. as Kentucky State Police investigators reconstruct the fatal accident that occurred Thursday afternoon.
“Traffic will be diverted off at Exit 107 at Leitchfield onto Hwy 259. The detour route will go from Hwy 259 to Hwy 62 to Hwy 79 in Caneyville and back onto the parkway at Exit 94,” Kentucky Transportation Cabinet spokesman Chris Jessie said. “The anticipated closure will last approximately three hours.”
The reconstruction is weather dependent and subject to change via state police, Jessie added.
First responders said Wharton was traveling in a 2001 Lincoln Town Car when he decided to pull over on the shoulder and relieve himself.
After going to the bathroom on the side of the parkway, Wharton apparently walked to the driver’s side passenger door — on the edge of the westbound parkway’s right lane — to get a soda out of a cooler in the back seat, according to first responders. At that time, a 2004 Chevrolet Express delivery van pulling a trailer and being driven by 43-year-old Gary Park, of St. Louis, Missouri, struck the victim and nearly ripped the back door off the vehicle.
(One first responder told K105 that the passenger car was parked nearly on the white line separating the right lane and shoulder.)
CPR was performed at the scene by a passerby and Constable Mark Stanton. Wharton was then transported to Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center (OHTLMC) by EMS where he was pronounced deceased a short time later by Deputy Grayson County Coroner Larry Holeman. Deputy Coroner James Embry also responded to OHTLMC.
The two women traveling with Wharton, and Park, were not injured.
Kentucky State Police accident reconstructionist Kevin Dreisbach is leading the investigation.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
