By Theresa Armstrong

Reporter

tdunn@gcnewsgazette.com

A Clarksville, Tennessee man was killed in a three-vehicle accident Monday afternoon on the Western Kentucky Parkway.

According to a report released by the Kentucky State Police, Joseph Litz, 70, and his wife, Brenda Litz, 67, of Clarksville, Tennessee were traveling east on the parkway near the 114 mile marker when the driver of a tan 2002, Chevrolet van motioned to them that there was a problem.

Jerome Skees, 59, of Glendale, Kentucky, pulled his van off the road and onto the shoulder in front of the Ford pick-up Litz was driving, reported Trooper Davy Norris.

“We thought we had a flat tire on the trailer,” said Brenda Litz. “But it was just the gas cap that was open.”

Litz went to the side of the pick-up truck to secure the gas-cap when he was stuck by a semi-tractor trailer, driven by Jerry Howard, 37, of Someville, Tennessee.

The semi sideswiped the truck and the trailer and Skees’ van.

The semi then continued to travel east through a guardrail, left the roadway on the right side and came to a final rest in a wooded area.

Grayson County Coroner Joe Brad Hudson was called to the accident and pronounced Litz dead at the scene.

“The preliminary cause of death was blunt force trauma in a pedestrian versus semi accident,” said Hudson.

There were no other injuries reported at the time of the accident, added Norris.

The Tennessee couple was traveling to Louisville to sell crafts at the Kentucky State Fair.

“We did not go last year because Joe had open heart surgery,” said Brenda. “But we like to go and sell the things we make and the ceramic dolls.”

The couple had been planning a 50th wedding anniversary in December.

The Clarkson Fire Department cleaned up approximately 150 gallons of spilled diesel fuel from the tractor-trailer.