WILSON, Kan. (WIBW) - A New Jersey man was killed early Wednesday after a passing semitrailer hit his toppled box truck after it became disabled on Interstate 70 in western Kansas, shutting down a portion of the roadway for several hours, authorities said.
The driver of the semi also suffered serious injuries in the crash, officials said.
The fatal crash was reported at 6:34 a.m. Wednesday on westbound Interstate 70 in Ellsworth County. The location was about 9 miles east of Wilson.
The fatality crash followed by 1 minute another incident involving the box truck, which ended up on its passenger side on I-70 after it had traveled into a ditch and re-entered the highway.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, the first crash occurred at 6:33 a.m. Wednesday when a 2018 Hino box truck that had been traveling west on I-70 went off the right – or north – side of the highway. The driver then over-corrected, causing the truck to roll onto its passenger side.
The box truck then came to rest facing southwest as it blocked both lanes of traffic.
The patrol said the driver of the box truck, identified as David Bridgeforth, 58, of Trenton, N.J., was possibly injured as a result of that crash.
The patrol said Bridgeworth then suffered fatal injuries about a minute later when a 2021 Freightliner semi that also was westbound on I-70 attempted to avoid hitting the box truck as it was on its side on the roadway.
The semi struck the box truck on its undercarriage beneath the cab. The box truck then spun into the north ditch and came to rest facing northeast.
The semi came to a stop facing northwest in the north ditch.
Bridgeforth was pronounced dead at the scene. The patrol said he was wearing his seat belt.
The driver of the semi, Iazizion Vafoev, 24, of Trevose, Pa., was transported to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita with serious injuries. The patrol said Vafoev was wearing his seat belt.
Both drivers were alone in their vehicles, the patrol said.
As a result of the crash, westbound I-70 was shut down between K-14 and K-232 highways – or exits 219 and 206 – for around four hours on Wednesday morning. One lane of traffic was reported to have been reopened as of 11 a.m. Wednesday and both lanes were reopened as of 6:45 p.m. Wednesday.