I-70 crash turns fatal, Wichita couple involved

March 23, 2011|By Karl Man | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(SALINA,Kan) — A young Wichita couple was involved in a deadly car accident on the way home from spring break early Wednesday morning on Interstate-70.

The accident took place in Ellsworth County.

Troopers say a pick-up-truck with Texas plates was headed west when it entered the eastbound lanes. The truck crashed head-on with a Chevy Equinox, inside was 20 year-old Kylie Jobe and 22 year-old Kyle Thornburg both of Wichita.

"At the time of impact both vehicles caught fire and the occupants were burnt," says Lieutenant Bruce Hyman of the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Three people died in the crash, there were no survivors. Officials don't know exactly how fast each vehicle was traveling or how the pickup started going the wrong way.

"It’s hard to determine why one of them would have headed in the wrong direction,” added Lt. Hyman.

“In the course of our investigation we will look and see if alcohol was involved and leave no stone unturned,"

Investigators also need to determine if the driver simply entered the interstate from the wrong off-ramp.

"It happens every now and then that someone will enter the interstate the wrong way,” said Lt. Hyman.

Officials are still investigating exactly how long the truck with Texas plates was heading in the wrong direction on Interstate-70.

Troopers did say they received a report at mile marker 222 that there was a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction. According reports, the accident took place at mile marker 210…that would leave a twelve mile gap between when the report was received and where the deadly crash took place.

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