MOUNT VERNON, KY — A California woman died after she was struck by a vehicle on Interstate 75 in Rockcastle County while trying to retrieve a pet that had run from her car following a separate crash, Kentucky State Police said. Troopers responded to the scene on the northbound lanes near the 62-mile marker on June 8. The victim was identified as 33-year-old Morabia Siddhi Suresh of Fremont, California. She had gotten out of her vehicle after the earlier collision when the pet escaped.
Crash Scene Details
State police said the incident involved a single-vehicle collision followed by a pedestrian struck in the roadway. According to the preliminary investigation, Suresh entered the travel portion of I-75 to go after the pet and was hit by another vehicle. The crash happened in the northbound lanes near the 62-mile marker, a stretch of interstate that carries heavy traffic through the county. Officials have not released additional details about the circumstances of the earlier collision.
Medical Response And Death
Emergency personnel took Suresh to Rockcastle Regional Hospital for treatment after the crash. She later died from her injuries, police said. The report did not say when she died after arriving at the hospital. No other injuries were mentioned in the state police release. The fatality was reported by Kentucky State Police as part of its ongoing investigation into the sequence of events on the interstate.
What Police Have Said
KSP said drugs and alcohol are not suspected as factors in the crash. Investigators are still reviewing what happened before and after Suresh exited the vehicle. The agency has not identified the driver of the vehicle that struck her, and no charges or citations were mentioned in the release. Because the investigation remains open, police have not said whether additional witness information or crash reconstruction findings are expected.
Safety On Busy Highways
The case highlights the danger of leaving a disabled or damaged vehicle on a fast-moving interstate. Even a brief walk into active lanes can turn fatal when traffic is moving at highway speeds, especially after an initial crash has already created confusion. State police routinely urge drivers and passengers to stay clear of travel lanes whenever possible and to wait for help in a safer location. In this case, investigators said the pet’s escape led Suresh into the roadway before the second vehicle hit her.
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