Lawrence, KS : 19-year-old killed, others injured in I-70 crash east of Lawrence on Thursday, January 26th 2017

A Topeka man was killed Thursday morning after the truck he was riding in crashed with a semitrailer on Interstate 70, the Kansas Turnpike Authority said.

Around 9:05 a.m. a westbound Chevrolet Silverado struck the rear end of a Freightliner semi, which was also westbound, but driving in a different lane, the Kansas Turnpike Authority said in an accident report.

After the initial collision, the Silverado hit the median barrier, and both of its occupants were ejected out the passenger door, the report says.

The accident took place around mile marker 209, east of Lawrence and the interstate’s Lawrence Service Area stop.

Westbound traffic was stopped completely on the interstate after the crash as emergency responders arrived at the scene.

The Silverado was driven by 30-year-old Rene Rodriguez Lopez, of Topeka, and 19-year-old Santiago Campos-Ramirez, also of Topeka, was riding as a passenger.

Neither Rodriguez nor Santiago was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, the report says. Campos-Ramirez was killed.

The Freightliner was driven by Victor Royce Stumblingbear, 49, of Fort Cobb, Okla., the report says. Cristian Maldonado-Ortiz, 19, of Topeka, was riding as a passenger in the semi.

Stumblingbear was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and was not injured, the report says. Maldonado-Ortiz was not wearing a seat belt and was injured in the crash.

The severity of Rodriguez’s and Maldonado-Ortiz’s injuries was not immediately clear; nor was it clear if they were taken to a hospital.

The Silverado was towed from the scene of the accident, while the Freightliner was able to drive away, the report says.

The Kansas Turnpike Authority said in a news release that all lanes of the interstate were back open around 1 p.m.

Source :
19-year-old killed, others injured in I-70 crash east of Lawrence