2 Minnesotans killed in chain-reaction crash on Kansas Turnpike

Two semis were stopped after a previous crash, and one was still partly in a lane of traffic when struck by a car carrying two members of a Zumbrota family, the Kansas Highway Patrol said.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 14, 2024 at 4:09PM
Kansas Turnpike (Kansas Turnpike)

Two family members from Minnesota were killed when their SUV struck a semitrailer truck that was pulled over partly in the lane of traffic along the Kansas Turnpike and then hit another semi that was stopped.

The crash occurred about 4:10 a.m. Monday on northbound Interstate 35 near Wichita, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. Killed in the accident were 78-year-old Thomas Reller and 27-year-old Octavia Reller, according to the patrol. Both were from Zumbrota.

A semi was “partially in the roadway from a previous crash” when the Minnesotans’ SUV hit the big rig and then another semi that was involved in the earlier crash, a patrol statement read.

The two semi drivers came away with minor injuries, the patrol said.

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Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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