The Kansas Highway Patrol is leading the investigation into a chain-reaction set of crashes that developed near BETO Junction early Friday.
The Coffey County Sheriff’s Office says a southbound car hit a deer and was disabled in the roadway just west of BETO Junction on Interstate 35 to start the episode. The car’s driver saw two semi trucks approaching. As the driver ran towards the median to avoid the large trucks, one of the semis hit the disabled car, pushed it almost through the median to the northbound side of the highway and overturned.
A deputy then arrived and parked in the inside northbound lane to move traffic to the outside lane while giving emergency responders a chance to do their work and ensure the car would not catch fire. However, shortly after the deputy’s vehicle was in position, a minivan hit the SUV at highway speed. Other drivers refused to slow down near the crash scene, causing other near-misses, and one driver allegedly berated a deputy after ignoring hand signals to slow down and subsequently getting yelled at.
The scene settled down somewhat after the Kansas Department of Transportation brought two large trucks to the scene.
Sheriff Tom Johnson says two drivers were hurt, with one coming to Newman Regional Health and another going to an unspecified hospital in Topeka for treatment. Three drivers were cited for refusing to move over or slow down at the crash site.
The Sheriff’s Office says the incident was unusual, but it also says the driver behavior exhibited Friday is not. The Sheriff’s Office urges residents to slow down whenever there is an emergency response.
