County-line wreck claims one life
A 46-year-old driver from Topeka was killed early Monday morning in an accident west of Peabody on the county line, U.S.-50.
Harvey County Sheriff Byron Motter said a witness saw the man driving a 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser in an erratic manner east of the accident, moving slowly and without a front tire. The car then passed the witness, at a high rate of speed with sparks flying from the tire rim.
It went out of control, struck two culverts, rolled over several times, and landed on its wheels in the highway. The driver is presumed to have been thrown onto the highway.
An eastbound semi-trailer truck hit the car, spilling hundreds of boxes of shoes onto the highway as it turned over.
It took several hours to clean up the scattered shoes, which belong to Wal-Mart.
The truck did not strike the victim, according to the police report.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene and the truck driver was taken to Newton Medical Center with minor injuries.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol report the driver of the truck was Martin W. Proctor, 39, Sunrise Beach, Mo. Kenneth Pagel, 46, Topeka, was the deceased driver of the car. The accident happened at 2:39 a.m.
It was afternoon before the load of shoes and overturned truck were cleared from the highway.
