UPDATE MAY 26
The identity of the driver was released to the media Friday. Zachary Barrett, 26 of Bellevue, Kentucky, died of a severe burn. His truck was engulfed in flames after leaving the roadway.
ORIGINAL STORY
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a single-vehicle fatal accident near Edinburgh.
A box truck went off the road near County Road 800 East and County Road 650 South Wednesday afternoon at around 5:14 p.m. The driver was going southbound when the truck went off the roadway and down a steep embankment, said Sheriff Duane Burgess.
While off the road, the vehicle hit several trees and caught fire, he said.
County Road 800 East from (Johnson) County Road 650 South to (Shelby) County Road 1000 South will be closed for an undetermined amount of time as the accident is investigated and cleaned up, he said.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating with assistance from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Edinburgh Police Department. The Amity, Edinburgh and Marietta fire departments also responded to the scene.
The accident began in Johnson County but the truck came to a rest in Shelby County, so the Shelby County Coroner’s Office will be conducting the investigation, Burgess said.
The accident is under investigation and more information, including the identity of the driver, will be released when possible.
