Crash kills two people on Hal Rogers Parkway in Leslie County

A crash on a busy Eastern Kentucky highway killed two people on Christmas Eve.

The two-vehicle crash happened on the Hal Rogers Parkway in Leslie County near the Thousandsticks community around 11:15 a.m. Sunday, Kentucky State Police said in a news release.

The preliminary investigation of this incident determined that Paul R. Howard, 45 of Hyden, was traveling west on the parkway in a 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche, troopers said.

Howard’s vehicle crossed the center line and collided with a 2014 Honda SUV driven by Joan Sparks, 71 of Nancy, police said.

Both drivers were pronounced deceased at the scene by the Leslie County Coroner’s Office.

There were no other occupants in either vehicle, troopers said.

No autopsies will be performed, and toxicology results from both individuals are pending, according to the news release.

Detective Scott Caudill with KSP Post 13 is currently leading this ongoing investigation.