Four injured, one seriously, in crash on KY 26 Tuesday

One of two vehicles involved in Tuesday’s accident in Faber.

Driver inexperience and mechanical failure are said to be the blame for a head-on collision on Ky. 26 Tuesday afternoon that resulted in one person being airlifted from the scene.

According to Whitley County Sheriff’s Deputy Sgt. Shawn Jackson, 18-year-old Aaron Hahn was traveling north on Ky. 26 about 4:30 when his brake calipers failed as he approached the tunnel.

"It threw the truck sideways," Jackson said. "He (Hahn) was able to get the truck under control but when he hit the brakes, the truck slid sideways again."

Woodbine Firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to extricate 18-year-old Aaron Hahn from his pickup truck.

A Chevrolet Z71 pickup truck driven by Scott Davis was coming south through the railroad underpass. Through Davis moved as far to the right as possible, Jackson said the two trucks hit almost directly head-on.

"This underpass has been a dangerous spot for a long time," Jackson said.

Davis’ truck came to rest in a ditch line about 20 feet further down the highway.

Jackson said when he arrived on the scene, Davis, and his passengers, Jessica Powers and an infant child, were out of the vehicle and moving around.

"The car seat did its job," Jackson said, noting despite the severity of the crash and the deployment of the airbags, the infant was unharmed.

Woodbine Firefighters established a landing zone in a field about a mile north of the crash from which Hahn was airlifted.

Davis, Powers and the child were taken by ambulance to Baptist Regional Medical Center.

Traffic was stopped in both directions as emergency personnel worked to clear the scene.

Woodbine Fire Department and Whitley County Ambulance Service assisted at the scene.