NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. – Violent storms blew through Kentucky overnight, splintering buildings and slamming a tree onto an SUV hard enough to kill its owner and leave ruts in the blacktop.
Three people had to be rescued from a video store, and power lines were down in several counties.
The tree apparently hit the SUV in a quick burst of wind Thursday as a man was driving in central Kentucky's Jessamine County, Sheriff's Capt. Kevin Corman said. The impact forced the bottom of the SUV's frame onto the road, scarring the surface, Corman said.
About 60 miles to the southwest, in Campbellsville, the power was out early Friday after 80 mph wind whipped through town. A video rental shop was wrecked by the storm, and three people were briefly trapped inside, Taylor County 911 supervisor Ann Sanders said.
All were taken to a hospital, along with two people who had been in the drive-through lane of an adjacent Arby's restaurant. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening, said Bill Edwards, director of Taylor Regional Hospital's Emergency Department.
Hail was also reported in north-central Kentucky, and trees and power lines were reported down around the state's eastern section, the National Weather Service said.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox