Traffic backups, delays on Versailles Road follow 3-vehicle crash in Lexington

A three-vehicle crash in Lexington near the Woodford County line caused life-threatening injuries early Thursday, according to Lexington police.

The crash happened around 7 a.m. on Versailles Road, past the Parkers Mill Road intersection. It initially caused major traffic backups going outbound. Police eventually shut the entire road down at the intersection of Man o’ War Boulevard and diverted traffic. It didn’t reopen until just after 11:15 a.m., according to the Lexington Traffic Management Center.

Witnesses told police the crash occurred when an “erratic” driver struck another vehicle and then over-corrected and hit a third vehicle, police Lt. Dan Truex said. The crash involved two pickup trucks and a passenger car, Truex said.

The driver who allegedly was “erratic” was taken to a local hospital, Truex said. The driver of the third vehicle was also taken to a hospital, he said. Both of them had life-threatening injuries. The driver of the second vehicle wasn’t injured. There were no additional passengers in any of the vehicles.

“At this time we have no idea whatsoever” why the driver was “erratic,” Truex said.

A collision reconstruction unit from the Lexington Police Department investigated the crash, which was why the road was closed for hours, Truex said.

Traffic backups caused delays on Shannon Run Road and Military Pike because of detoured traffic, according to the Lexington Traffic Management Center.