33. Tragedy in Bardstown

Yesterday afternoon, as I was riding home on the bus from work, I had a discussion in my head on how we respond to certain tragedies. A few weeks ago I posted here about the train derailment in northern Bullitt County. We've discussed the deaths of a few family members, as well as two adolescent men and a young girl whose deaths were in part caused by a police chase. Finally, more than a few lines were spent of the putting-down of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro

Yesterday's news (and today's as well) is filled with the very tragic events in Bardstown, Kentucky (about 35 miles southeast of Louisville). A home on Guthrie Drive, a short connector street I've driven upon many times, apparently had an explosion, and went up in flames in a spanse of about six minutes. Ten people, all members of the same family perished, spanning three generations. There are no words to understand an event such as this, nor are there any to properly console the remaining family, a family which has lost ten members in one event. We can compare it in history to the losses in Katrina, or the tsunami in the south Pacific, but those are people and places far removed from our place here in Kentucky. A little further back, the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate in northern Kentucky afforded a much higher number of persons lost when the club caught fire nearly 30 years ago. The media have reported this to be the largest residential fire in Kentucky in 40 years at least.

My discussion with myself was an ethical one. It involved how we as a community respond to such events. I remember when the kids were killed on the church bus, returning home from King's Island to Radcliff about twenty years ago. I do not know how many there were, maybe two dozen - maybe more, who lost their lives outside of Carrollton on I-71 due to a drunk driver. In an era before many cars had driving lights, Wayne Perkey, who was a DJ on WHAS, Louisville's then-most popular radio station, asked drivers to drive the next day with their high-beam on in memory of the lost students. Truthfully, it was difficult to drive that day as so many folks did use their high-beams in memory of the loss. Everywhere were tributes and the poignancy of the event was strongly felt.

I questioned myself about my response about Barbaro vis-a-vis this loss of human life. Many writers across the nation addressed the loss of the life of a horse, because there were words to do so. In this event, there are no words, no pictures, no proper consolations for such a large loss to one family. They've been on my mind for over 24 hours now and will continue to be so for some time. I am keeping them in my thoughts and would ask you do the same.

The victims were Sherry Maddox and Johnny Litsey, who had lived together for many years. Litsey had worked at Bardstown Mills, a Purina feed store, since he was a teenager. Also, Crystal Denise Maddox, 30, and her two children, Deashia McKinney, 10, and Nekia McKinney, 8. They lived in the house, said Janet Tonge, sister of Sherry Maddox. Also, Demita Jo "Ann" Maddox, and her 2-year-old twin girls, Heaven and Earth. They had moved to Tennessee within the past year and were back for a visit. Also, Dariyel Maddox, who would have turned 4 today and is the daughter of survivor Darrell Maddox. Finally, Ann'Ashia Maddox, the 1-year-old daughter of survivor Lizzie Maddox.

The survivors are Lizzie Maddox, who was not in the house when the fire broke out but suffered minor injuries attempting to rescue those inside; and Darrell Maddox, 25, who suffered facial burns. Maddox works at Bardstown Mills and recently was baptized at First Baptist Church of Bardstown, which several family members attend.