Wichita man injured when he falls off maintenance truck along Kansas turnpike: official

A 22-year-old Wichita man working on a Kansas Turnpike Authority maintenance crew was injured when he fell off the back of a truck, Kansas Highway Patrol troopers said.

Nicholas Swim had suspected serious injuries from the fall Tuesday in Wyandotte County, the KHP crash log says. He was taken to the University of Kansas Medical Center. It’s unclear if he is still at the hospital, which could not provide an update on his condition Wednesday.

The driver of the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado, a 44-year-old Wichita man, was headed the wrong direction on the ramp that goes from I-435 southbound to I-70 eastbound. Lt. Shawn Phillips said the crew would have been traveling the wrong direction as part of their work.

The driver was on the outside shoulder and “slowed/stopped” for traffic so he could go around a disabled vehicle, the crash log says. Swim fell as the driver accelerated to go around the disabled vehicle, the crash log says.

Phillips said the maintenance crews typically do things like clean up debris and fix guardrails.