Topeka man, 72, killed in wrong-way crash early Monday on I-335 on Kansas Turnpike near Auburn
Southbound I-335 was shut down for more than 5 hours south of Topeka following early-morning crashes
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A Topeka man has died following a wrong-way crash early Monday that shut down southbound lanes of Interstate 335 on the Kansas Turnpike southwest of Topeka for more than five hours, authorities said.
The fatality victim was identified as Michael Goering, 72, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Following that crash, four other people were taken to a Topeka hospital after a second collision at the same location, authorities said.
The initial crash involving a car and a semitrailer was reported around 1 a.m. Monday on I-335 about nine miles southwest of Topeka. The location was about a mile southeast of Auburn.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol’s online crash log, a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia semitrailer was traveling south on I-335 when it was unable to avoid a 2015 Mercedes-Benz M Class car driven by Goering that was traveling north in the southbound lanes of the highway.
The patrol said the semi’s driver was unable to avoid the Mercedes and the two vehicles collided.
Following the crash, the vehicles were reported to have caught fire, the patrol said.
The patrol said Goering was pronounced dead at the scene. Goering, who was alone in his car, was wearing his seat belt, the patrol said.
No injuries were reported to the two occupants of the semi.
The driver of the semi was identified as Harsh Batish, 22, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The passenger in the semi was identified as Tarandeep Singh, 25, also of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The patrol said Batish was wearing his seat belt and Singh wasn’t wearing his seat belt.
Both vehicles had to be towed from the scene.
There was no record of either Batish or Singh requiring ambulance transportation to the hospital, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol’s online crash log.
About a minute after the fatality crash was reported, a second collision occurred in the southbound lanes of I-335 at the same location.
In the second crash, a 2009 Mercedes-Benz C Class car was traveling south on I-335 when the driver noticed the Freighliner semitrailer that was disabled in both lanes of traffic after it had lost all its power and lights.
The driver of the Mercedes-Benz C Class tried to avoid the semitrailer on the left shoulder of the highway, but ran into the back of the semi’s power unit and came to rest against the barrier wall and power unit of the semi, the patrol said.
All four occupants of the Mercedes-Benz C Class were transported to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka.
The driver, Brayan Saucedo-Martinez, 21, and a passenger, Christopher Brown Jr., 28, both of Wichita, were reported to have suspected minor injuries. The patrol said both Saucedo-Martinez and Brown were wearing their seat belts.
Two other passengers in the Mercedes-Benz C Class, Travion Rogers, 27, and Pierre Johnson, 23, both of Wichita, were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The patrol said neigher Rogers nor Johnson was wearing a seat belt.
After the crashes, southbound traffic on I-335 on the Kansas Turnpike was shut down at the south Topeka toll plaza for more than five hours.
Traffic on southbound I-335 was reopened around 6:45 a.m. Monday.
During the closure, police were blocking the ramp leading to southbound I-335 at the turnpike’s south Topeka toll plaza.
Traffic that was headed south on I-335 on the turnpike toward Emporia and Wichita was diverted to other routes.
Kansas Turnpike Authority officials told 13 NEWS around 6 a.m. that while both southbound lanes on I-335 were closed south of Topeka, the right northbound lane remained open in the area of the crash, which occurred near mile marker 168 just north of the Shawnee-Osage county line.
Both northbound lanes were reported to have reopened as of 6:28 a.m. Monday.
Meanwhile, traffic headed east on the turnpike on I-470 from the south Topeka toll gate -- toward Lawrence and Kansas City -- wasn’t affected by the road closure on southbound I-335.
Earlier Monday morning, a 13 NEWS crew reported seeing smoke coming from the area of the crash.
The Kansas Turnpike Authority was investigating the crash.
Check wibw.com for more details as they become available.
WIBW’s Lexi Letterman contributed to this report.
Copyright 2024 WIBW. All rights reserved.
