Part of U.S. 54 closed after woman, two children die in accident in construction zone
Part of U.S. Highway 54 between Pratt and Haviland was closed after a crash that killed a woman and two children on Tuesday.
A mile stretch from mile marker 136 to the west edge of Pratt was expected to reopen before 3 p.m. Until then, the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Kansas Department of Transportation were detouring traffic on alternate routes.
The crash was reported at 10:35 a.m. along westbound U.S. 54 at mile marker 136, which is just west of Pratt, KHP trooper Chad Crittenden said over the phone.
A semi truck towing a trailer had stopped at construction zone waiting for a worker to flag him in order to pass. Construction crews were out doing some mile marking work, Crittenden said.
A 2021 Nissan SUV driven by a Kansas woman in her 30s with two children in the back seat rear-ended the stopped semi truck. The woman and two children died at the scene, Crittenden added.
The identities of people who died were not immediately available.
This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 2:28 PM.