1-year-old injured, Alabama man killed in series of crashes on I-65

A series of collisions near Greenville killed one and injured two this week, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Thaddeus Richardson Jr., 34, of Montgomery, died at the scene. Benjamin Carpenter, 41, of Daphne, and a 1-year-old suffered injuries and were taken to the hospital.

“The crash occurred on Interstate 65 near the 122-mile marker, approximately six miles south of Greenville, in Butler County,” according to the statement by Lieutenant Jeremy Burkett.

Burkett stated that the accidents began at about noon on Jan. 21 when a 2014 Kenworth tractor-trailer driven by Donald Richardson of Hudson, Fla., struck the rear end of a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Benjamin A. Carpenter, a man from Daphne.

At the time, Thaddeus Richardson was sitting on the driver’s side of a 2014 Ford Mustang with the door open following an earlier crash that officials have not detailed. Carpenter’s Silverado struck the stationary Mustang, ejecting Thaddeus Richardson, who was pronounced dead on the scene. A 1-year-old passenger was injured in the Mustang.

After hitting the Silverado, Donald Richardson’s Kenworth struck the rear of a 2025 Freightliner tractor-trailer driven by Dontrell Dorsey of Abbeville. A 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by David Colston of Montgomery then struck the Kenworth.

Troopers with ALEA’s Highway Patrol Division are still investigating the crash.