Shawnee County, KS : Two injured in crash on US-24 Highway involving a semitrailer and four other vehicles on Tuesday afternoon, August 5, 2014

A chain collision Tuesday afternoon on US-24 Highway involving a semitrailer and four other vehicles resulted in only two injuries, neither of which was believed to be severe. A GMC was facing eastbound on US-24 Highway was waiting to turn north onto Lakeland with a pickup truck and a white Westar van behind it when a semitrailer struck the van from behind and set off the chain of collisions, according to Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Adam Winters. The accident was reported at about 5 p.m. The semitrailer struck the white Westar van, which struck the pickup truck in front of it and a black minivan which was traveling westbound, Winters said. The pickup then struck the GMC which had been waiting to turn, he said. The drivers of the semitrailer and the white van, who were alone in their vehicles, were transported to a local hospital but weren’t believed to have sustained serious injuries, Winters said. One of the men waited with Silver Lake firefighters for about an hour after the wreck and was able to walk to the ambulance that transported him. The pickup had only one occupant, a man. The black minivan and GMC each held a mother and two children, Winters said. None of the occupants of those three vehicles were injured. Traffic was blocked in both directions until about 6:10 p.m., when police had cleared the westbound lane and allowed eastbound and westbound traffic to alternate. Winters estimated it might take another hour or two to find a truck capable of moving the semitrailer, which had extensive damage to its front driver’s side. Shawnee County Sheriff’s Department and Kansas State Troopers were on-site, and Silver Lake Fire Department assisted with road cleanup and directing traffic. KHP is still investigating whether speed or other factors played a role in the crash. Source : Two injured in crash involving semitrailer, four other vehicles