Second Kansas trooper taken to hospital in a week after being rear-ended

A second Kansas Highway Patrol trooper has been taken to the hospital in the last few days after wrecks in Sedgwick County. Both had been rear-ended while parked on the shoulder with their lights on, the Kansas Highway Patrol reported.

Trooper Matthew Wagner, 22, of Colwich, was rear-ended at around 12:15 a.m. on Saturday in Wichita while he was parked on the eastbound shoulder of US-54, near Hillside.

A picture from the Highway Patrol showed a 2005 Jeep Liberty SUV, driven by a 41-year-old Wichita man, had damage to most of the front end and the back of the trooper’s SUV had the rear bumper ripped off, the tailgate smashed in.

Both vehicles were towed and both men were taken to Wesley Medical Center with suspected minor injuries.

On Wednesday, a trooper was taken to the hospital with suspected serious injuries after being rear-ended by the driver of a Toyota Prius, who was switching lanes on I-35 near the 77th Street exit in Park City, the Highway Patrol said.

This story was originally published January 25, 2020 at 12:49 PM.