The Kansas Turnpike Authority has clarified certain information about the age of one of Saturday’s crash victims after a semi and SUV collided near Emporia.
Initially, the Highway Patrol crash log indicated Anthony Barrera as zero years old, indicating infant age, but the Kansas Turnpike Authority has confirmed Barrera was 17. With the Highway Patrol moving recently to keeping juvenile crash information protected, juvenile victims will list as zero years old if they are under age 18.
Barrera and Erin Moreno were killed when a semi driven by 39-year-old Stetson Cooley from North Little Pulas, Arkansas, was hit by an SUV driven by 44-year-old Guerrero Moreno Jr of Wichita. Three juveniles in the SUV, names and ages not released due to the Highway Patrol’s protected data policy, were taken to Newman Regional Health for treatment.
11 pm Saturday: Semi-SUV crash on Turnpike kills two people
Exactly how Saturday’s fatal crash near Emporia developed may never be known, but the Kansas Highway Patrol now says an adult and baby were killed when a semi rear-ended an SUV.
Troopers say the semi was driven by 39-year-old Stetson Cooley from North Little Pulas, Arkansas, while the SUV was driven by 44-year-old Guerrero Moreno Jr of Wichita. Both vehicles were southbound when the crash happened around 3:10 pm at Kansas Turnpike mile marker 134.4, seven miles northeast of the Emporia tollgate and two miles northeast of the Emporia service exit. The online crash log does not indicate why the semi crashed into the smaller vehicle.
Cooley was not hurt and Moreno suffered apparently minor injuries, being taken afterward to Newman Regional Health for treatment. Unfortunately, baby Anthony Barrera was killed at the scene and 42-year-old Erin Moreno of Wichita died about 90 minutes after the wreck. Three juveniles were also hurt in the SUV. The Highway Patrol lists their information as protected data, but Emporia Fire indicates they were taken to Newman Regional Health for treatment.
Southbound traffic on the Turnpike was detoured at the Admire exit, 13 miles northeast of the crash site, for almost five hours to allow for emergency medical response and crash investigation.
8 pm Saturday: One dead, five hurt — one critically — after Turnpike wreck near Emporia
One person is dead and five others were transported to Newman Regional Health, one with suspected life-threatening injuries, after a crash Saturday afternoon near Emporia.
Emporia Fire Capt. Greg Davis says a semi and SUV collided shortly after 3 pm as both vehicles were traveling southbound on the Kansas Turnpike near mile marker 134, seven miles northeast of the Emporia tollgate and two miles northeast of the Emporia service exit.
The person who died was pronounced dead at the scene. Besides the person who suffered life-threatening injuries, Davis says two others suffered moderate injuries and two people had non-life-threatening injuries. All six were in the SUV at the time of the crash.
All other crash details are currently pending.
Southbound traffic reopened at around 8 pm, nearly five hours after the crash.
4:45 pm Saturday: Southbound Turnpike traffic blocked at Admire interchange after wreck near Emporia service exit
Law enforcement authorities are investigating after a reported injury crash northeast of Emporia on Saturday afternoon.
The wreck was reported around 3:15 pm at Kansas Turnpike mile marker 134 southbound, or seven miles northeast of the Emporia tollgate and two miles northeast of the Emporia service exit. Kansas Highway Patrol troopers, Emporia/Lyon County EMS and a medical helicopter responded.
Crash details are currently pending. There is currently no confirmation on whether anybody has been hospitalized.
Southbound traffic is being detoured from the Admire-Council Grove exit, or Turnpike mile marker 147, west on US Highway 56 to Admire. The official detour goes south on Kansas Highway 99 to Burlingame Road and into Emporia.
KVOE and KVOE.com will have updates.
