(AP) – The Kansas Highway Patrol says four people who died Tuesday in an accident in Ellsworth County were from Colorado.
The patrol identified the victims Wednesday as 54-year-old Kevin J. Dorrell; 51-year-old Debra M. Dorrell; 15-year-old Justin Turner; and 11-year-old Joe Turner, all of Aurora, Colo.
Nine-year-old Jonah Turner survived the crash when an Ellsworth man pulled him from the wreckage. He is hospitalized in at a Wichita hospital. The relationship of the victims was not released.
The patrol says the accident happened when a Cadillac Escalade driven by Kevin Dorrell hit a disabled semi-trailer that had parked along Interstate 70 about eight miles north of Ellsworth.
The truck driver was not injured.
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(AP) – Investigators are still working to identify four people killed in a traffic accident in Ellsworth County on Tuesday.
Patrol trooper Ben Gardner said Wednesday the victims are believed to be from Colorado and authorities in that state are helping to obtain identities.
Gardner says the victims’ vehicle hit a semi-trailer truck that parked along Interstate 70 about eight miles north of Ellsworth after experiencing mechanical problems.
Gardner says two people rescued a child, believed to be between 5 and 8 years old, from the van. The child is hospitalized in Wichita but investigators have not been able to talk to him yet.
He says the extent of the damage prevented emergency personnel from positively determining the ages or genders of the people in the vehicle. The truck driver wasn’t injured.
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3:30 P.M. Traffic is open again in both directions on I-70 following today’s deadly accident.
1:30 p.m. update Four people were killed on Tuesday morning when their SUV hit the back of a parked Semi trailer on I-70 near Ellsworth. A fifth occupant of the SUV, a child, has been hospitalized in Salina.
I-70 East remains closed and traffic is being sent onto highway 14. We will report more details as they become available.
11: 50 a.m. Traffic is slow due to an accident on I-70. The Kansas Highway Patrol shut down the eastbound lanes of I-70 near the Ellsworth exit and is sending travelers on Highway 14.
Initial reports indicate the accident involved two vehicles, including a semi truck. There are injuries and possibly deaths. Stay tuned to Eagle Radio and Check Hays Post for additional details as they are released.