Two men were injured after a pickup truck crashed into the back of a piece of farm machinery on U.S. Highway 169 in Spring Hill late Wednesday afternoon.
Spring Hill Police responded with Johnson County Fire District No. 1 and Johnson County Med-Act paramedics to the crash in the southbound lanes of the highway, between 207th and 215th streets, at 3:52 p.m.
Recorded radio traffic from arriving officers reported a Nissan pickup truck had crashed into the back of a baler.
The impact of the truck detached the baler from the tractor. The baler ended up on its side, and the tractor was found stopped several hundred feet south of the truck and baler.
According to recorded radio traffic from firefighters, the driver of the heavily damaged pickup truck was found in critical condition. The tractor operator was in stable condition.
Both men were transported by Johnson County Med-Act ambulances to area hospitals for treatment.
Radio traffic stated that the tractor was likely traveling under 20 mph when it was rear-ended by the pickup, which was being driven at normal highway speed.
The collision caused damage to the freshly repaved highway. In recorded radio traffic, one Kansas Highway Patrol employee called the damage a “crater” of approximately 2 to 3 feet wide and 8 inches deep.
A crew from the Kansas Department of Transportation responded to patch the hole in the pavement.
Spring Hill Police and Johnson County Sheriff’s deputies diverted all southbound traffic onto 207th Street for nearly two-and-a-half hours as officers investigated the crash scene and the damaged vehicles were removed from the highway.
During the closure, at least three vehicles were involved in a non-injury crash at the police roadblock at 207th Street.
Both crashes were cleared and all lanes of the highway reopened shortly before 6:30 p.m.
Check back with this report for updates as they become available from police.
