The operator of a cement truck died Wednesday after the vehicle went off the roadway and overturned before catching fire.
Lewis County Sheriff Johnny Bivens said the incident happened about 11:50 a.m. Wednesday on KY 377 about a mile north of the Rowan County line.
Bivens said the loaded cement truck, operated by Robbie W. Wolfe, 52, of Grayson, was traveling south on the roadway when the right wheels of the vehicle dropped off the edge of the blacktop.
He said Wolfe apparently overcorrected and the truck traveled back across the roadway and off the left side before striking an embankment and overturning, coming to rest on the passenger side.
Bivens said the truck then caught fire resulting in extensive damage to the cab and engine area of the truck.
The truck is registered to the Wells Group, Bivens said, and cement trucks from the company had been delivering cement to a nearby project.
Wolfe was pronounced dead at the scene by Lewis County Coroner Tony Gaydos.
The roadway was intermittently closed at the location of the crash throughout the afternoon to allow for the scene to be investigated and the wreckage to be cleared.
The incident remains under investigation by Bivens. He was assisted at the scene by Kentucky State Police, Lewis County Emergency Management, Kentucky Department of Transportation, Black Oak Fire and Rescue, Camp Dix Fire and Rescue, Route 377 Fire and Rescue, Portsmouth Ambulance, and Crawford Towing.
