Jefferson County’s coroner has identified the man killed in a westbound I-264 crash as 48-year-old Anwar Watson. Investigators say the SUV Watson was driving flipped after a collision, and he was thrown from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger was rushed to a nearby hospital with injuries that were described as non-life-threatening, and the westbound side of the interstate stayed shut down for hours.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office confirmed Watson’s identity to WLKY, which reported that he was ejected from the SUV and died at the scene while crews worked to get the passenger medical care. Officials told local outlets the crash unfolded on the Watterson Expressway heading west and triggered long backups as emergency responders and investigators handled the wreck.
What investigators say
Louisville Metro Police said the SUV was traveling west when the driver lost control, hit another vehicle, then slammed into a concrete median and rolled. LMPD detectives are investigating the crash.
Traffic impacts and local context
The wreck shut down westbound lanes for several hours, turning the Watterson Expressway and nearby ramps into a slow-moving mess. The Watterson, also known as Interstate 264, has been the subject of ongoing repair and safety work that can complicate traffic flow when something goes wrong, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. During the closure, drivers faced delays and detours. According to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet planning documents, historical crash data for the five‑year period from January 2019 to December 2023 were collected from the Kentucky State Police database. KIPDA's Connecting Kentuckiana 2040 plan identifies I‑264 (Watterson Expressway) as a corridor for improvements addressing safety and congestion issues.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and its Traffic Safety Facts 2022 publication, FARS provides a census of fatal traffic crashes across the 50 states that reporters use to place local fatal-crash counts in broader context. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, analyses of FARS data examine real‑world fatal crashes and factors such as ejections and seat‑belt use. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) provides a census of fatal traffic crashes across the 50 states, which reporters use to place local fatal‑crash counts in broader context.
