From WRIL -
A short time before 10:00am there was a two-vehicle accident on Highway 25E northbound near Bell County Solid Waste. A green passenger vehicle being driven by a 80-year-old male driver, identified as Shirley Lawson of Varilla Kentucky, swerved off the roadway and struck a tan pickup truck as the unidentified driver tried to avoid the collision.
While Mr. Lawson's car came to a stop in the roadway, the pickup truck remained in the middle of the median. That driver only suffered minor injuries.
Both Lawson and his passenger - his wife - were taken to Pineville hospital. Mr. Lawson's wife suffered a broken leg in the accident. Due to bad weather she was unable to be flown and was transported by Bell EMS to UK Hospital. Tragically Mr. Lawson passed away. Bell County Deputy Coroner Jason Steele tells WRIL that Mr. Lawson appears to have died naturally while driving after suffering a medical episode.
On a personal note, Shirley Lawson called our Tradio program weekly for over 14 years with his "white oak rockers with a cushion and porch swings with a heart in the middle." We will surely miss Mr. Lawson ending every call with his "...and you have a real good day." He was more than just a caller to us.