Kansas trooper identifies Wichita man killed in wreck with semi; dog died as well

The Kansas Highway Patrol identified the man killed in a two-vehicle wreck Wednesday afternoon southwest of Wichita as 61-year-old Joseph S. Soza.

Soza, of Wichita, and a dog in his vehicle died at the scene, according to KHP trooper Chad Crittenden.

Another dog in the 2004 GMC Sierra he drove was injured and taken to a veterinarian, he said. The 50-year-old man driving the other vehicle in the wreck — a semi-truck towing an empty trailer — was not injured, officials said.

The wreck was reported at 1:04 p.m. Soza was headed westbound on K-42, near 87th Street South close to Viola, when Soza crossed the center line for an unknown reason, officials said.

The driver of the semi-truck saw the truck cross the center line and started to lock up the brakes and hug the shoulder, but he was still moving when the other driver hit him, Crittenden said.

The man who died had to be cut out of the truck by first responders.

This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 2:06 PM.