Two people were hurt, including one eventually airlifted to an out-of-area hospital, after an equipment issue in a semi led to a two-vehicle wreck near the Lyon-Chase county line late Monday night.
The Kansas Highway Patrol says the wreck happened shortly before 10:15 pm on US Highway 50 on the Chase County side of the line, eight miles west of Emporia and near Saffordville. The semi, driven by 24-year-old Reece Solander of Reading, was westbound and hauling a planter when a driveshaft failed, causing the power unit to catch fire. Once the driveshaft failed, Solander’s truck then hit a large pickup driven by 20-year-old Jesse Schneider of Emporia.
Solander was taken to Newman Regional Health but was later airlifted to Saint Francis Hospital in Wichita for suspected serious injuries. The Highway Patrol crash log says Schneider declined a hospital trip.
US-50 was blocked in both directions for several hours after the wreck.
