A Kentucky man faces charges of driving under the influence, driving left of center and carrying a concealed weapon after a Saturday automobile accident on the Ironton-Russell Bridge.

Saturday, January 15, 2000

A Kentucky man faces charges of driving under the influence, driving left of center and carrying a concealed weapon after a Saturday automobile accident on the Ironton-Russell Bridge.

John W. Hall, of Flatwoods, Ky., is in custody at the Lawrence County Jail today awaiting arraignment for those charges, filed by the Ironton Police Department after his Chevrolet extended-cab truck hit a maroon minivan carrying two Kentucky women, a driver and a passenger.

At about 12:45 p.m., the truck traveling toward Russell, Ky., struck the minivan, which was traveling toward Ironton, and shoved it into the bridge’s steel sidewall, trapping the passenger. As the minivan’s front end collapsed, it allowed the truck to further crush the van’s exterior, folding it into the side and trapping the driver as well.

The two victims were transported to River Valley Health System where they were admitted for observation of moderate to minor injuries and were reportedly in satisfactory condition.

Traffic ground to a halt for more than two hours while rescue workers extracted victims from one of the vehicles and cleaned up glass and metal debris left littered along the bridge’s surface.

"We had to use the Jaws of Life to get to the victims in the minivan," Ironton Fire Department Capt. Craig Thomas said. "We removed the driver’s side door of the van with the equipment."

Firefighters sent two trucks to the scene of the accident after they received the emergency call. IFD firefighters, IPD officers and Southeast Ohio Emergency Medical Service technicians swarmed the wrecked minivan, working in tandem from the side and rear entrances to free the victims from the twisted wreckage.

Hall remained handcuffed in the back seat of an IPD cruiser and watched the scene unfold.

Once officials were able to clear the scene, Hall was taken for a Blood Alcohol Content test which led to the formal charge of driving under the influence to be filed, IPD reports stated.

The accident occurred on Ironton’s side of the river, just above the steep, curving incline that leads vehicles to the bridge surface.

"The contributing factor in the accident was that (Hall) was driving left of center, not excessive speed," IPD Patrolman Brian Caskey said. "Hall hit the minivan head-on."

Officials did not release the names of the victims Saturday, pending family notification.

A family pet involved in the accident sustained no injuries and was taken into custody by the Ironton-Lawrence County Dog Shelter pending the release of his owners from the hospital, which was expected to be Saturday evening.

The incident remains under investigation by the Ironton Police Department.