The Kansas Highway Patrol says a truck being pursued by law enforcement caused a serious injury crash on Interstate 35 in Johnson County on Monday night.
According to the highway patrol’s online crash log, the crash happened at about 10:20 p.m. on the ramp from northbound I-35 to northbound I-635 in Overland Park.
Troopers say a 57-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, man was driving a 2002 Ford F-150 when the truck rear-ended a 2011 Kia Soul driven by a 17-year-old girl from Kansas City, Kansas.
“Vehicle one [the Ford] was traveling northbound on I-35 at a high rate of speed, fleeing from law enforcement when vehicle one struck the rear of vehicle two [the Kia],” the Highway Patrol’s crash log states. “Vehicle one [the Ford] left the roadway to the left, striking a utility box and light pole.”
According to recorded radio traffic from firefighters, both vehicles were heavily damaged in the crash.
Troopers detained the driver of the Ford, who was then transported by ambulance to the University of Kansas Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries. According to the Troopers’ report, it is unknown if the man was wearing a seat belt.
Radio traffic indicated that he was out of the truck and walking around when police arrived.
The Highway Patrol’s crash log states that the 17-year-old driver of the Kia was transported by a second ambulance to the same hospital with what troopers describe as a suspected serious injury. She was wearing a seat belt.
According to recorded radio traffic, the driver of the Ford truck initially fled from Lenexa Police, who were attempting to stop what they believed to be an intoxicated driver.
The Lenexa Police Department’s calls for service log lists a possible traffic stop of an intoxicated driver in the area of the I-35 and I-435 interchange at 10:05 p.m. The log does not indicate whether the driver stopped or if this was part of the same pursuit that ended with the crash.
At the time of publication late Tuesday morning, Lenexa Police had not yet responded to requests for confirmation regarding the department’s involvement.
Construction crews continue to work overnight on the pavement patching project in the northbound lanes of I-35 in Merriam. On Monday night, those crews had the three left lanes of northbound I-35 closed from Shawnee Mission Parkway to the I-635 interchange.
Police closed the connecting northbound I-35 ramp to northbound I-635, along with the ramp from southbound I-635 to northbound I-35, until the crashed vehicles were removed from the area.
The crash was cleared, and all ramps reopened shortly before midnight.
