Lindsborg pastor and his daughter among 3 deaths in I-135 crash in Kansas

A Lindsborg pastor and one of his daughters were among three people killed in a wreck Sunday near Salina that also sent another daughter to a Wichita hospital.

The driver of the vehicle that crashed into them also died.

Emergency crews were called about 1:27 p.m. Sunday to an injury accident on I-135 in Saline County, the Kansas Highway Patrol said in a crash log. The crash was about halfway between Salina and Lindsborg.

Investigators determined a 2007 Chevy Silverado 1500 was northbound on the interstate but failed to maintain its lane and drove into the median. The pickup truck then entered the lanes of oncoming traffic and struck a southbound 2016 Dodge Ram 1500.

State troopers identified the Chevrolet’s driver as Christopher Lee Giroux, age 24, of Salina. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Dodge’s driver was identified as Phillip Ray Hett, age 39, of Lindsborg. He and 10-year-old passenger Abigail Hett also died at the scene. A 13-year-old girl was taken to Wesley Medical Center with serious injuries.

Hett was a full-time chaplain at Bethany Village, a retirement community. The facility said the girls in the vehicle were Hett’s daughters.

“Phil was truly a wonderful man and a servant of our Lord,” Bethany Village officials said in a statement.

“I hope we can all honor him by supporting one another as he supported us through our hardest times. While there are no words for a time like this, let us all be grateful for having known this family, for the joy they brought into our lives, and for the caring they demonstrated toward others.”

This story was originally published May 31, 2021 at 12:13 PM.