Victim ID'd in Monday wreck

Jessica Barnett, The News Courier, Athens, Ala.
·1 min read

May 25—The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has identified the lone victim of a fatal wreck on Interstate 65 Monday morning.

According to ALEA Sr. Trooper Brandon Bailey, 55-year-old John A. Bender of Evansville, Indiana, was traveling on I-65 in a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado when he struck the back end of a 2016 Volvo semi-truck. Bender's vehicle overturned, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash occurred near the U.S. 72 exit in Athens and left both southbound lanes of I-65 temporarily blocked. Bailey said the Volvo driver was not injured.

ALEA's Highway Patrol Division continues to investigate the cause of the accident, Bailey said.