A semi-truck crash on Interstate 65 in downtown Louisville Friday morning caused major traffic disruptions and sent plumes of black smoke rising through the city after the vehicle caught fire and fell off the elevated roadway. The driver, remarkably, survived with only minor injuries.

Emergency crews responded after a call came in to MetroSafe at 10:14 a.m., reporting a single-vehicle crash near Jefferson Street. TRIMARC cameras showed the semi ablaze and hanging off I-65 before it eventually fell near the I-64 and I-71 north split.

According to Louisville Fire Captain Donovan Sims, the driver was able to escape, possibly by jumping from the cab, and suffered only minor injuries to the lower extremities. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover. Witnesses in the area reported hearing explosions at the time of the crash.

Firefighters from the Louisville Fire Department, along with mutual aid from Jeffersonville Fire and EMS, responded quickly and extinguished the flames beneath I-65. The semi-trailer was empty at the time of the crash, according to Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.

By 12:15 p.m., the ramp from I-65 North to I-64 West had reopened, and by 1:30 p.m., two lanes of I-65 South were also back open. Still, traffic remained severely backed up through downtown and into southern Indiana until around 2 p.m., when cameras showed traffic flowing again.

At a press conference, Greenberg noted that this was the fourth crash in that area, including one during Kentucky Derby weekend, calling Friday’s outcome “very, very, very, very lucky.” He added that the city had already been in communication with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) about safety improvements along the I-65 corridor.

KYTC later issued a statement confirming that investigations are ongoing, and engineers are evaluating the I-65 South bridge for possible damage from the crash-related fire. The incident will be considered as part of KYTC’s broader safety assessment in the area.

The Louisville Metro Police Traffic Unit is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash.

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