Two students dead, one injured in Sunday accident

Two UK students are dead and one has been injured following a car accident on the interstate near London, Ky., Sunday afternoon.

Thomas May, a junior, and  Bradley Hall, a freshman, died after the accident on northbound I-75, said Kentucky State Police spokesman Don Trosper.

A third student, Ben Cooley, was still in the emergency room at UK Hospital as of 6 p.m. Sunday. He was flown there from the scene of the accident.

All three were returning from a Baptist Campus Ministry trip in Laurel Lake, Ky.

The accident, which occurred at 1:37 p.m., happened when the 2001 Ford Taurus driven by May crossed the grass median into oncoming traffic for an unknown reason and was struck by a tractor-trailer, Trosper said.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, James Donaldson of Oregon, Ohio, was taken to Rockcastle County Hospital as a precaution. He is not believed to have been at fault, Trosper said.

Police are still investigating the accident, Trosper said. Inclement weather is not believed to have been a factor, and all three were wearing seat belts.

The night of the accident, cars filled the grass in front of the Baptist Campus Ministry building on Columbia Avenue. Students sat inside — some crying, others talking about their memories of Hall and May.

Friends described Hall, of Rockfield, Ky., as quiet, but always compassionate toward anyone in need. English senior Evan Markert called Hall the “Quiet Giant” whose calm, happy demeanor made people feel better as soon as he entered the room.

“He did things without being asked, and he did them with a quiet joy that always spread to other people,” Markert said.

Both Hall and May were strong in their faith and fun to be around, said Baptist Campus Ministry director Daniel Berry.

Hall had a dry sense of humor, not laughing much but always telling jokes, Berry said. May was “a real servant,” even buying ping-pong paddles when Baptist Campus Ministry needed a new set.

“It was never a holier-than-thou faith,” Berry said. “It was a gentle faith, a love-other-people faith. That’s what it’s all about.”

May, of Louisville, had an especially close connection with his family, said mechanical engineering junior Brent White, who shared an apartment with May. The background on May’s computer was of him holding his niece, and his profile picture on Facebook was May with his nieces and nephews.

May also loved hanging out with his friends, and wasn’t afraid to perform. Standing outside in the cold November weather Sunday, White watched a YouTube video of his friend singing “Summer Nights,” a song from “Grease,” into a broom for the camera.

“He’s all about having fun with his friends and making sure his friends have fun, too,” White said.

White said he had been on his phone for much of the day, talking about the accident. He said the only time he cried about what had happened was when he thought about the pain May’s family must be feeling, not how May is doing now.

“He’s in heaven right now — everything’s perfect up there,” White said. “I don’t worry about him.”