Sun's Glare Contributes to I-24 Ramp Collision

A two-vehicle accident on the Exit 11 on-ramp to Interstate 24 was apparently caused by sunlight obscuring the vision of drivers.

A McCracken County Sheriff's Deputy responded to the accident on the eastbound I-24 ramp at Husband Road at 7:15 am, and found that traffic was stopped because the crash had caused a car to catch on fire. The car's driver, 29-year-old Haley Talbert of Paducah, was out of the vehicle and reportedly had only minor injuries. She said she was merging onto the interstate but the sun was in her eyes and she didn't see a pickup truck in front of her that was also merging into the eastbound lane. The driver of the truck, 74-year-old Jerome Weitlauf of Paducah, told deputies he was slow in merging because the sun was in his eyes, and he was struck from behind.

The Sheriff's Department says other emergency personnel at the scene also spoke about low visibility in the area because of the glare.

Talbert sought her own medical treatment at an area hospital.