UPDATE: Authorities have identified a driver that was killed in a crash on Interstate 135 in Salina Thursday morning.
The Kansas Highway Patrol says 58-year-old Larry Nelson of Salina was traveling southbound on Interstate 135 just before 10 a.m., when for unknown reasons, his 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander left the roadway, veered west and struck a concrete bridge pillar directly under the Magnolia Road overpass.
The vehicle caught fire upon impact. The Salina Fire Department was called to the scene to extinguish the fire.
Nelson, who ended up on the ground outside the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. He was transported to Roselawn Mortuary in Salina.
He was not restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Southbound traffic was reduced to one lane as a result of the accident and was fully reopened by 11:30 a.m.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
—
Original Story:
One person was killed in a single vehicle accident on Interstate 135 in Salina Thursday morning.
Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner told The Salina Post at the scene that shortly before 10 a.m., troopers were called to the Magnolia Road overpass on I-135 on an initial report of a vehicle explosion.
Upon arrival, troopers found that a silver passenger vehicle, which had been traveling southbound, left the roadway, traveled west, and struck a concrete bridge pillar directly under the Magnolia Road overpass head-on. Upon impact, the vehicle caught fire, but did not explode.
The driver, who ended up on the ground outside the vehicle. was pronounced dead at the scene. The name of the victim was not immediately released, pending family notification.
Gardner said the cause of the accident was still under investigation. “We’re still trying to figure out the circumstances that lead up to this,” he said. He indicated that more information regarding the accident would be released at a later time.
Southbound traffic on Interstate 135 had been reduced to one lane while investigators and first responders worked to clear the scene. The passing lane was reopened to traffic at about 10:45 a.m. The driving lane was reopened to full traffic at 11:30 a.m.
Addtional photos courtesy of Josh Barnhart:
