Alcohol is suspected as a factor in a crash that claimed the life of a Lexington man Friday night.
The crash occurred around 9 p.m. on Union Mill Road, about a half mile west of East Hickman Road.
A 1996 blue Pontiac Bonneville, driven by Rodney James Hughes, 44, 3304 Squire Heart Court, Lexington, was traveling southbound on Union Mill Road when it slid sideways as it came around a sharp curve and slammed into a phone pole on the driver's side, Jessamine County Deputy Kalen Hall said. The car then clipped a fence line and came to rest in a ditch.
Jessamine County Coroner Keri Sallee said the most likely cause of death was blunt force trauma, but added that she will send the body to Frankfort for an autopsy.
Chief Deputy Allen "Doodle" Peel said Hughes was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, and the sheriff's office was unsure if speed was a factor due to the lack of skid marks.
