Joe Imel/Daily NewsA family of three from Auburn and two women from Elizabethtown were killed Wednesday on Interstate 65 in Hart County in an accident state police say was caused by bad road conditions.

Police are saying three main factors caused Wednesday’s wreck on Interstate 65 in Hart County that left five people dead: excess speed for the weather, rain and the condition of the road.

David H. McGrath, 49, Madeline K. McGrath, 52, and Megan S. McGrath, 15, all of Auburn, were killed, as well as Myra Lawson, 51, and Cassandra Lawson, 22, both of Elizabethtown. Each of the victims was wearing a seat belt.

Two people involved in the accident, Michael Giles, 48, of Philadelphia, Miss., and Jennifer Lawson, 22, of Elizabethtown, survived. Lawson was taken to Hardin Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown with non life-threatening injuries.

The accident occurred around 7:30 a.m. when the pickup truck driven by David McGrath hydroplaned on the road covered by rainwater and crossed the northbound lanes of traffic into the southbound lanes, said Kentucky State Police Trooper Terry Alexander. McGrath’s vehicle hit Myra Lawson’s van head-on, driving the van into the rock wall along the road. McGrath’s vehicle was hit in the passenger side by the tractor-trailer driven by Giles.

The rainfall was so heavy that visibility was limited, said Trooper Todd Holder, spokesman for the state police post in Bowling Green.

But there was also a problem with water pooling on that section of I-65, he said.

“There was a part of the roadway where there was so much runoff, it looked like a creek,” Holder said.

The hydroplaning was caused when the pickup truck hit the pooling water too fast, said state police Sgt. John Clark.

“The bottom line is they were going too fast for the road conditions,” he said.

The accident occurred on an area of I-65 that has seen a number of serious wrecks recently, Holder said. These accidents include a recent crash involving state police Sgt. Corey Buckner, whose cruiser also hydroplaned into opposing traffic. Buckner’s vehicle was hit head-on by a tractor-trailer. Buckner suffered only minor injuries.

“The road is not only no longer safe for the general public, but is also no longer safe for people trying to respond and offer aid,” Holder said.

The section of I-65 is older and has been worn down, allowing water to pool, he said. Water splashed over the tops of tractor-trailers Wednesday where the accident happened, Holder said.

Keirsten Jaggers, spokeswoman for the sstate Transportation Cabinet in Bowling Green, said accidents on I-65 have decreased overall since the road was widened and a dividing wall installed. The wall prevents crossover accidents and the extra lanes give people more room to maneuver.

However, Wednesday’s fatal accident occurred at a section of I-65 near mile marker 61 that has two lanes in each direction and is not divided by a barrier wall.

The section of I-65 from mile markers 58 to 61 was last resurfaced in 1999. The section from mile markers 61-74 was last resurfaced in 1994, Jaggers said.

“Resurfacing generally provides a good pavement base for approximately 12 to 15 years,” she said.

Numerous potholes are up and down both directions of the interstate, she said, and a cold road repair mix is the only material available to repair those until asphalt plants open later in the spring. Cold mix does not stick as well as hot asphalt, and heavy rains and truck traffic make it worse. Once the asphalt plants open, road maintenance workers will have access to hot mix and can give a better long-term fix for the maintenance issue, Jaggers said.

House Speaker Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, said he has spoken with Sen. Brett Guthrie, R-Bowling Green, about I-65 to see what can be done to increase safety on the roadway.

“I will make every attempt to expand six lanes on 65 north of the Louie Nunn Parkway,” Richards said.

Before the roadway expanded to six lanes, I-65 between the Nunn Parkway and Bowling Green was one of the deadliest sections of interstate, but since it was expanded, fatalities have greatly decreased, he said.

The six-lane roads with wide shoulders and a center divider simply provide more margin for error and keep vehicles from crossing lanes, Richards said.

“A few years ago I had a vehicle hit an icy patch and cross over and hit me on the Bluegrass Parkway,” he said. “Fortunately we were both almost stopped by the time we hit.”

Troopers continued to work a number of non injury accidents in that same corridor of roadway throughout the day Tuesday, Holder said. There were at least four or five other accidents, he said.

State Transportation Cabinet officials were at the scene of the fatal accident Wednesday, Holder said.

The McGrath family was on the way to a 4-H day in Frankfort at the time of the accident, Holder said. The Kentucky Legislature observed a moment of silence in memory of all the accident victims Wednesday.

McGrath was a former officer for the Bowling Green Police Department and worked for LifeSkills.

“Heaven will be a happier place with” Megan, said Katie Tyson, who was friends with Megan for three years and home schooled with her.

Katie, 13, and her mom, Debby Tyson, were among 4-H participants who were visiting the Capitol. Debby Tyson said her family home schooled with the McGraths. She said Madeline McGrath handled dog shows for the 4-H club and taught in the home school.

The McGraths didn’t travel with other 4-H members Wednesday because they wanted to be together as a family on the trip, Debby Tyson said.

“They were wonderful people,” she said.

— The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Several other area roads remain closed because of high water Thursday.

• Ky. 1153 between the 4-5 mile marker in Logan County

• Ky. 107 between the 4-5 mile marker in Logan County

• Ky. 403 between the 4-5 mile marker in Butler County

• Ky. 655 between the 2-3 mile marker in Edmonson County