CITIZEN STAFF REPORT

LOWMANSVILLE — A 20-year-old Martin County woman lost her life Thursday morning in a crash involving a car and a tractor-trailer on U.S. 23 near Lowmansville, while her boyfriend was hospitalized with serious injuries.

The collision occurred around 7:15 a.m., shutting down both lanes of U.S. 23 for several hours as emergency crews responded to the scene and investigators worked to determine what happened.

Kaitlyn Delong of Lovely died as a result of the crash.

Her boyfriend, Johnathan Haney, 22, of Staffordsville, suffered a head injury and was transported by EMS to St. Mary’s Medical Center where he remains in critical condition. Haney is a U.S. Marine and a 2023 graduate of Johnson Central High School.

Kentucky State Police Post 14 reported Thursday evening that the preliminary investigation indicates that Haney was operating a 2012 Kia Sorento southbound on U.S. 23 when the vehicle crossed the median into northbound lanes and collided with a 2005 Volvo tractor-trailer.

Delong, a passenger of the Kia, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced deceased at the scene by the Lawrence County Coroner.

The operator of the tractor-trailer was not injured.

A Kentucky State Police accident reconstructionist responded to the scene and assisted with the ongoing investigation.

This is a developing story.

This story was edited to add information from the Kentucky State Police.