UPDATE: Inspector Killed in I-64 Crash Identified

MOREHEAD, Ky. (WTVQ) – Kentucky State Police have released additional details about an on-duty officer who was killed in a single-vehicle crash on I-64 in Rowan County Wednesday morning.

A release says the victim is 51-year-old Inspector Benita Blanton.

Troopers say Blanton was headed eastbound on I-64 when she lost control of her vehicle, went off the south side of the road and hit an earth embankment.

Benita Blanton

Inspector Benita Blanton (Photo from her Facebook page)

Investigators say Blanton was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the accident.

She was pronounced dead at the scene by the Rowan County Coroner.

Blanton was hired by KSP as a dispatcher at the Morehead Post in December of 2012, and then transferred to Commercial Vehicle Enforcement as an inspector in December of 2015.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

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10:07 a.m.

On-Duty Officer Killed in I-64 Crash

A Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer died in a crash on eastbound I-64 in Rowan County Wednesday morning, according to Kentucky State Police.

Troopers say the officer, who was on-duty, was driving a CVE vehicle when she lost control, and went off the right side of the interstate and into an embankment.

Investigators are still trying to determine what happened to cause the officer, who remains unidentified, to lose control of the vehicle.

She died at the scene, according to State Police

One lane of I-64 eastbound remains closed as Crash Reconstruction Units investigate.

Motorists should expect some slow-down in the area, but so far the traffic impact has been minimal.  No word on how long the lane will remain closed.

ABC 36 will update this story with additional information as it becomes available.

Categories: Local News, News

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