Jessica Settle/Hopkins County Jail mugshot
A Hopkins County woman has been indicted in connection to a September head-on collision in Nebo that claimed the life of a six-year-old girl and severely injured two women.
According to Madisonville Police, the Hopkins County Grand Jury indicted Jessica Settle of Manitou on charges of vehicular homicide when under the influence of drugs, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs 2nd offense, third-degree possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, first-degree persistent felony offender, and two counts of second-degree assault.
The police reported that the case was presented to the grand jury on Tuesday following a months-long investigation, with assistance from the Kentucky State Police Post 2 and the KSP Crime Lab.
The charges are from September 16, 2024, when Madisonville Police were called to respond to a fatal collision in the 4000 block of Nebo Road. Police reported the investigation showed that a vehicle driven by Settle was heading northbound when it crossed the center line and collided head-on with a southbound vehicle driven by 40-year-old Amy Hirsch of Hopkinsville.
Police said 25-year-old Ashley Foster, a passenger in Hirsch’s vehicle, was extricated by the Madisonville Fire Department. Both Hirsch and Foster were transported by ambulance to the Baptist Health Deaconess Emergency Room in Madisonville with severe injuries. Settle and the 6-year-old girl in her vehicle were also taken to the same emergency room, where the child later died.
