WALTON, Ky. — Nearly one week after a deadly crash on an interstate exit ramp, Debra Cox is still recovering.
Bill Collins, a family friend, said she had damage to her ribs, sternum, spine, and lungs following Tuesday’s crash.
“Very talkative. As good of spirits as can be expected," said Collins. "She just lost her younger sister to cancer Thursday before the accident. The memorial service for her was going to be on Wednesday. She didn’t make it."
Her husband of 51-years, Dwight Cox, died in a chain-reaction car crash on the I-75 exit ramp to Walton last Tuesday.
The Boone County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash.
Collins said Dwight was a father of seven. He described him as a family man deeply rooted in his faith.
“Loved to travel. Loved to eat. Loved to read. I think they just bragged about going on their 27th cruise,” he said.
Collins said the past six days have been incredibly difficult for the family.
“Being there to support their mom, and at the same time grieving. With the loss of their dad. See how she’s going to do moving forward,” he said.
In the meantime the community is showing support for the family through donations on an online GoFundMe page. Thousands of dollars have come in to help the family with medical and funeral expenses.
“The family wouldn’t be asking if they didn’t need it. It’s nice to see the community is reaching out. Local congregations are seeing what they can do to help,” he added. “In a bad situation it’s made it a bit more easy to deal with.”
The crash marks the second deadly crash in 13-months on the same interstate exit ramp. On November 5, 2021, 52-year-old Jeff Mardis, and 15-year-old Autumn Ward were killed after being rear-ended.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet sent a statement saying in part: “The six-year highway plan includes a project to reconstruct the Walton interchange. Design is currently underway.”
Collins said the changes can’t come soon enough.
“The state has a five year plan to fix this, but how many lives are we going to lose before they fix the problem?" he said.
