Wrong-way vehicle causes several accidents on Interstate 35 in JoCo

Posted: March 25, 2014 - 1:02am

Updated: March 25, 2014 - 2:19am

The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating after a wrong-way driver allegedly caused several accidents on Interstate 35 late Monday night.

Kansas City Scout camera showing traffic diverted at Old 56
Click image to view larger

Olathe Police and Highway Patrol Troopers responded on three accidents just before midnight, all reportedly caused by the same wrong-way vehicle. At least one of the involved driver's reported that a vehicle was northbound in the southbound lanes of the interstate and swerved towards traffic to cause the accident.

The first accident was reported near Lone Elm Road. At least two others were reported near 151st Street.

Troopers believe the wrong-way vehicle also struck a barrier wall and rolled over near the weigh station, north of 167th Street, before continuing northbound in the southbound lanes.

Johnson County Med-Act says no one was injured in the accidents.

The driver of the wrong-way vehicle reportedly ran from the final crash scene, after his vehicle was disabled. Police believe the suspect ran westbound from the crashed vehicle. A child seat was found in the crashed suspect vehicle. Troopers do not believe a child was in the vehicle at the time of the accidents.

A K-9 unit searched the area for more than an hour. That search did not locate the suspect, who is possibly injured.

Olathe Police have not released a suspect description or any other details at this time.

The Kansas Highway Patrol closed all southbound lanes of Interstate 35 at Old 56, just after midnight. All lanes reopened just before 2 a.m..

The Johnson County Sheriff's Office and one Lenexa officer assisted with traffic control in the area.

Stay with Operation 100 News on this blog and on Twitter for the latest details as they become available. Remember where you heard this news first, Operation 100 News, reporting the news to the public as it breaks.

Media notification available
All comments are moderated. Inappropriate and/or abusive comments will not be published. More information.

PHOTOS: Wrong way driver killed in Sunday morning crash, that injured four others, has been identified

Posted: October 27, 2013 - 2:51am
Updated: October 29, 2013 - 1:24pm

Update: 

Photo courtesy: Britt Nelson
Click image to view larger

Police have identified the driver that was killed in the accident as Julio Cesar Romero-Zepeda, 22, of Olathe, Kansas.

Operation 100 News has spoke to one of the people who called 9-1-1 to report the accident, Darla Williams of Gardner, Kansas. Williams says that she was on her way home from babysitting her grandson in Olathe when she came upon the crash.


Williams said, "It was so dark, I could only hear the screams and I told 911 to send at least three ambulances, maybe more."


Olathe Police have not released any other information regarding the accident's cause or any other circumstances surrounding the crash.

There were no updates available on the other victims of the crash early Tuesday afternoon.

Original report:

Aerial image of the area
Click image to view larger

Olathe Police are investigating if a wrong way vehicle may have caused a serious accident this morning on Interstate 35.

The crash was reported shortly before 2:30 Sunday morning in the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 near Sheridan Street, north of Old U.S. 56 highway.

Police arrived on the scene to report two vehicles with heavy damage and several people trapped inside of a van.



Olathe fire crews reported one of the involved vehicles had rolled over following the crash and had sustained very heavy damage. Firefighters extricated at least three people from vehicles.

Photo courtesy: Britt Nelson
Click image to view larger

Johnson County Med-Act transported three people with critical injuries and at least two others are said to have serious injuries. A total of five ambulances were involved on the call.

The injured people were transported to three different area hospitals.

At 3:52 a.m., Operation 100 News was able to confirm that one of the critically injured, a 22-year-old male, had passed away at an area hospital.

The southbound lanes of Interstate 35 at Santa Fe (135th Street) were closed until around 6 a.m. Sunday for the accident scene to be investigated and cleaned up.

During the clean up, a mini-van crashed into a barricade that was blocking the southbound lanes. The Kansas Highway Patrol says the driver was not injured in this secondary accident.

Photo courtesy: Britt Nelson
Click image to view larger

Stay with Operation 100 News on this blog and on Twitter for the latest details as they become available. Remember where you heard this news first, Operation 100 News, reporting the news to the public as it breaks.

Media notification available
All comments are moderated. Inappropriate and/or abusive comments will not be published. More information.