In a direct submittal of the felony case, a Livingston County grand jury on Tuesday indicted Mansur A. Kholikov, 24, on three counts of reckless homicide stemming from the July 29, 2024 multi-vehicle crash in the westbound lane of I-24 near the Grand Rivers Exit. The crashed was just east of where a contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet was conducting work on the Tennessee River bridge. It was not unusual at the time for traffic to be backed up for nearly a mile or more.
According to Kentucky State Police, Kholikov was operating a semi-truck westbound on I-24 when traffic slowed approaching the bridge construction area, which had been reduced to one lane. Investigators said the semi failed to slow and struck multiple vehicles, triggering secondary collisions involving at least five vehicles.
Killed in the crash were 68-year-old Saundra Dodd of Evansville and her grandchildren, Tallulah Dodd, 6, and Pele Doerter, 8. Their vehicle was reportedly engulfed in flames when first responders arrived.
Two other people were airlifted to out-of-state hospitals following the collision, while several additional victims were transported to local hospitals for treatment. Kholikov reportedly was not injured.
Other members of Dodd’s family were injured in the crash as they were traveling in another vehicle.
The criminal indictment comes as civil litigation connected to the crash continues in Livingston Circuit Court. According to court filings, crash victims and surviving family members have filed lawsuits against Bahtiyor Trucking LLC of Manville, N.J.; Kholikov personally; and other manufacturing and contracting defendants.
Kentucky State Police previously told the Evansville Courier-Press newspaper that investigators reviewed electronic data recorders and logging systems connected to the semi-truck as part of the lengthy crash reconstruction investigation.
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