Fiery crash claims Pendleton County man

BUTLER, Ky. (WTVQ) – A 40-year-old Falmouth man died Saturday when the truck he was driving left the road, struck some trees and caught fire.

According to the Kentucky State Police, Mark Hofstetter was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident which was reported at about 9:15 a.m. Saturday on Kentucky Highway 609.

The initial investigation indicates Hofstetter was southbound on Highway 609 in a 1993 Ford Ranger when he left the right side of the road and hit a tree. Trooper Matthew Semlar arrived to find the vehicle engulfed in flames. He tried unsuccessfully to put out the blaze with the fire extinguisher in his patrol car, according to the KSP.

A toxicology report is pending, troopers said.

Pendleton County is north of Georgetown and Cythiana north of Lexington. Highway 609 winds through the center of the county along the Licking River from Highway 177 on the north to Kincaid Lake State Park on the south.

The ongoing investigation is being led by Semlar. He was assisted on the scene by KSP personnel, Pendleton County Sherriffs Office, Pendleton County EMS, Pendleton County Fire Department, and Pendleton County Coroners Office.