Wichita man identified in fatal crash on K-254 Wednesday
The Kansas Highway Patrol said a man in his 30s died in a crash northeast of Wichita early Wednesday.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) - The Kansas Highway Patrol said 32-year-old Terry Echols Jr died in a crash northeast of Wichita early Wednesday. It happened at 127th Street East and Kansas Highway 254 around 7 a.m.
Troopers say Echols, driving a Honda Accord, was headed westbound and didn't slow down as other traffic was slowing for an accident up ahead. He hit the back of the semi. Troopers were investigating the crash further down the highway when traffic began to get backed up.
"Both vehicles were indeed westbound on K-254. The truck-tractor semi-trailer was in the right lane, slowly transitioning to the left because we had all lanes stopped," said Trooper Chad Crittenden, Kansas Highway Patrol. "A second vehicle, the 2017 Honda, appears it was traveling at highway speeds, and it didn't seem like there was much deceleration or brakes applied prior to the impact."
Echols died.
The first crash, which was non-fatal, happened around 6 a.m. involving a semi and another car on westbound K-254 and Greenwich. The car flipped, and the person inside was injured. They were transported to the hospital.
"It appears that the commercial motor vehicle failed to yield, not saying that it didn't stop at the stop sign, but it failed to yield and pulled out in front of the westbound vehicle causing it to overturn," said Crittenden.
Traffic on westbound K-254 was closed for several hours in that area.