Third semi toppled by high winds in same area on I-70 in western Kansas
High winds continue to make for treacherous traveling conditions Thursday along central and western Kansas roadways
GOODLAND, Kan. (WIBW) - For the second day in a row on Thursday, high winds made traveling difficult if not downright dangerous in portions of central and western Kansas, especially for those driving high-profile vehicles like semitrailers.
A number of semis were reported to have flipped onto their sides again on Thursday as winds of up to 70 mph in some places made the going treacherous for those driving the big rigs.
Compounding the difficulties were reports of dust obscuring visibility on southwest Kansas roadways.
Once again on Thursday, a semi was reported to have been blown over near mile marker 38 on Interstate 70 in Thomas County in western Kansas, about 20 miles east of Goodland.
It marked the third big rig in just over 24 hours to have met the same fate at nearly the exact same point on the roadway.
In Thursday’s crash, the Kansas Highway Patrol said, a 2018 Freightliner semi was eastbound on I-70 when it became unstable because of “extreme winds.” The semi then rolled onto its passenger side before coming to rest in the south ditch.
The driver, Michael Charles King, 51, of Colorado Springs, Colo., was transported to Citizens Medical Center in Colby for treatment of suspected minor injuries. The patrol said King, who was alone in the semi, was wearing his seat belt.
The other two semis were blown over near mile marker 38 on Wednesday, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. The occupants of those semis were reported to have sustained injuries not considered to be life-threatening.
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