Kansas man killed in highway wreck when car turned and crashed into SUV, troopers say

A Kansas man was killed Friday afternoon in a Riley County crash involving two vehicles, state troopers said.

Emergency crews were called at around 1 p.m. to the wreck at the intersection of U.S. 24 and U.S. 77 about 4 miles east of Riley, the Kansas Highway Patrol states in a crash report. A 2013 Ford Focus was northbound on U.S. 24 and “attempted to navigate a left turn and collided” with a 2004 GMC Yukon, troopers wrote.

The man who died was the driver of the Yukon. He was identified as Lamar E. Whitson III, 48, of Blue Rapids.

There were three passengers in the SUV — Jill Whitson, Haylee Whitson and Emma Whitson. The crash report states that Jill Whitson was taken to a hospital with suspected serious injuries, but does not indicate whether the other two passengers were hurt.

Neither the driver nor the passenger in the Focus reported injuries. They were identified as 29-year-old Daniel Joseph Gray, of Lawrence, and 25-year-old Chelsie Marie Hallgrimson, of Tonganoxie.