Woman escapes overturned car at trouble spot on KY 40

A 2012 Chevrolet Cruze driven by Grace Jude of Van Lear rests on its top in Buck Creek after an Aug. 3 crash on Kentucky Route 40 near Big Elk Road in Beauty. Jude told police she swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle that entered her lane.

BY ANNIE HOLLER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

BEAUTY — A Van Lear woman escaped an overturned car Aug. 3 after swerving to avoid an oncoming vehicle at a bridge on Kentucky Route 40 in Beauty that has been the scene of numerous crashes over the years.

Grace Jude was traveling west on KY 40 near Big Elk Road and crossing the narrow bridge over Buck Creek when an unknown vehicle entered her lane, according to a collision report filed by Martin County Sheriff’s Deputy David Adams.

Jude told Adams she swerved left to avoid a head-on collision, left the roadway and lost control of her 2012 Chevrolet Cruze.

The car overturned and came to rest on its roof in the creek. Jude was the only occupant.

Jude was trapped inside after the impact jammed the doors. She told Adams that an unidentified man stopped at the scene and forced the passenger-side door open far enough for her to squeeze through.

By the time Adams arrived, bystanders and Patriot EMS personnel had removed Jude from the vehicle and were preparing to transport her.

The Chevrolet Cruze driven by Grace Jude sustained extensive damage after leaving Kentucky Route 40, overturning and landing in Buck Creek near Big Elk Road in Beauty. Jude was transported to Highlands ARH Hospital in Prestonsburg for treatment.

Jude suffered visible swelling and a large knot near one eye, along with abrasions. Patriot EMS treated her at the scene and transported her to Highlands ARH Hospital in Prestonsburg for further evaluation and treatment.

Warfield Volunteer Fire Department and the Martin County Rescue Squad also responded.

The Aug. 3 wreck occurred at the same bridge where Martin County Sheriff John Kirk raised renewed safety concerns following a motorcycle crash in late June.

Kirk said then that the bridge has been the site of repeated wrecks, with vehicles sometimes leaving the roadway and landing upside down in the creek below. He attributed much of the danger to the absence of guardrails and the curve approaching the bridge from the Warfield direction.

“This has been going on for years, and there are no guardrails on the bridge to keep you from going into the creek,” Kirk said following the June crash.

State officials have discussed replacing the bridge for more than two decades. Kirk said in June that replacement was anticipated in 2027 but urged immediate installation of guardrails and warning signs while the larger project remains pending.

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