Update: Highway Patrol employee killed in I-135 collision identified

Authorities have released the identity of the Kansas Highway Patrol motorist assist technician who was killed Wednesday after his vehicle was hit by a semi on I-135 near Park City.

A Highway Patrol crash report identified him as Ricardo J. Torres, 69, of Augusta.

The collision occurred shortly before 4 p.m. in the southbound lanes of I-135 near 61st Street North, a Sedgwick County emergency dispatch supervisor said.

The white motorist assist pickup was in the median of I-135 when Torres pulled onto the inside lane of southbound I-135, Trooper Chad Crittenden said. The 2015 Ford F-250 was then hit from behind by a semi traveling south.

While the 24-year-old Wichita man driving the semi wasn't injured, Torres was critically hurt and was not breathing when first responders arrived on the scene, Crittenden said. He later died at Via Christi Hospital St. Francis.

Initial reports suggested Torres was driving north before making a U-turn in the median to come south, but Crittenden said evidence at the scene indicates he did not make a U-turn.

The Critical Accident Response Team worked the scene of the crash, which restricted traffic in the area for several hours.

The collision occurred south of a hill on I-135, Crittenden said, and it's possible Torres either didn't see the semi or misjudged its speed.

"It's a steep median," Crittenden said.

It's not clear at this point if Torres had just helped a motorist or was on his way to help someone at the time of the collision, Crittenden said.

Investigators would like to hear from anyone who witnessed or has any information connected to the crash, officials said. They are asked to contact Lt. Aaron Maguire at 316-744-0451.

"In any crash where there’s injuries, it's a terrible thing," he said.

But this crash hits the Highway Patrol particularly hard, he said, because the troopers know the person who was hurt. Torres had worked as a motorist assist technician since 2015.

Motorist assist technicians help change tires, provide fuel, assist with vehicle breakdowns and provide traffic control at crash scenes.

"The Kansas Highway Patrol would like to express its sincere condolences to the family of the Motorist Assistance Technician killed in this collision," read a release posted to Twitter.

"We are heartbroken tonight, after one of our KHP Motorist Assist Technicians died following a traffic crash this afternoon," the tweet read. "Our thoughts are with the Technician's loved ones at this time. "

This story was originally published March 7, 2018 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Update: Highway Patrol employee killed in I-135 collision identified."