DRAFFENVILLE – Emergency Responders are saying seat belts could have made the difference between life and death today for two people traveling on the Purchase Parkway. According to police reports, Marshall County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 47 mile marker at the Draffenville Exit at approximately 5 p.m. to a report of a single-vehicle collision.
Daniel Smith, 29, of Paducah, was traveling south on the Purchase Parkway in the Draffenville area when he reportedly fell asleep at the wheel. Smith’s 2011 Nissan Altima left the roadway and crossed the median.
The vehicle struck the opposite guard-rail and caused the vehicle to roll and come to rest in its original lane of traffic. Smith and his passenger Teela Etheridge, 23, of Murray, were transported to Murray-Calloway County Hospital with minor injures.
The Sheriff’s Office was assisted on scene by the Palma Briensburg Fire dept and the Marshall County Ambulance service. In a public report about the collision, responders with Palma Briensburg sought to remind the public about the importance of wearing seat belts saying, “after leaving the roadway and flipping the car, there appeared to be minor injuries for the driver and passenger. Seatbelts work, please use them.”