By Brett Regan ~ Little Apple Post

A head-on collision in Geary County has killed two drivers and injured several members of a construction crew riding in a van.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash happened around 7:15 a.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 77 about one mile north of Milford. The patrol says a southbound Cheverolet Silverado pickup truck driven by 39-year-old Lancy Davis II, of Palmer, crossed the center line and collided head-to-head with a Ford passenger van driven by 52-year-old Juan Perez, of Wichita. When the two vehicles collided, the pickup became airborne and landed partially in the east ditch and on top of the east guardrail of the highway. Both Davis and Perez were killed in the accident.

Six of the seven passengers, all from Wichita, in the van were taken to area hospitals. Aleandro Perez, 28, Manuel Lozoya, 50, and Oscar Perez-Olivarez, 28, were transported to Geary Community Hospital in Junction City. Roman Perez-Ortiz, 24, and Antonio Salas-Ortiz, 25, were transported to Mercy Regional Health Center in Manhattan. Martin Perez-Hernandez, 25, and Jose Salas-Ortiz, 35, were airlifted by LifeStar to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka.

They were part of the construction company, Bryant & Bryant Construction Inc., based out of Halstead.

Davis’ pickup truck had a Kaw Valley Engineering, Inc. emblem on the doors.