Charges filed in I-64 crash

Published 9:52 am Tuesday, October 1, 2019

The driver who was ejected from his car during a crash on Interstate 64 last week is now facing multiple charges from the incident.

Mutombo Mbaya, 27, of Lexington, was behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Galant when he lost control, crossed the median of I-64 and entered the westbound lanes, where it struck a passing van.

Deputies from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office filed a warrant charging Mbaya with second-degree assault, three counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, failure to maintain insurance, driving on a suspended operator’s license and failure to register transfer of a motor vehicle.

Email newsletter signup

Mbaya is being held in the Clark County Detention Center on a $75,000 bond.

According to the warrant and the accident report, witnesses said Mbaya’s vehicle had passed one car and went between a car and a tractor trailer before losing control in the eastbound lanes near the 101 mile marker.

The car went into the grass median and overturned multiple times before going into the westbound lanes, where it collided with an oncoming van.

Mbaya was ejected from his car during the crash. He was flown to the University of Kentucky Medical Center from the scene, but was released later that day. Mbaya was taken to the Fayette County jail, where he was served with the warrant.

The driver of the van, Leron Washington of Huntington, West Virginia, was trapped inside the vehicle, which came to rest on its right side. Firefighters extricated him from the van, and he and another passenger were treated at local hospitals for their injuries. A second passenger was uninjured.

Fred Petke is a reporter for The Winchester Sun, the Jessamine Journal and the State Journal. His beats include cops, courts, fire, public records, city and county government and other news. To contact Fred, email fred.petke@bluegrassnewsmedia.com or call 859-759-0051.

email author More by Fred