Two-vehicle accident near Preston on K-61 claims life of California man

A California man was killed in a two-vehicle-accident Monday evening a mile southwest of Preston on K-61 near NE 90th

Avenue.

Michael King, 51 of Blythe, Calif., was northeast bound on K-61 towards Preston in a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado when he crossed the centerline. Several witnesses said they had seen him cross the centerline from Pratt to the wreck site, said Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. Jason Hoffman.

When King crossed the centerline he sideswiped a 2006 Freightliner semi driven by Ricky Parks, 49 of Covington, Ga. Parks pulled to the right to try to avoid the accident but the Silverado crashed into the drivers side fender on the drivers side causing extensive damage to both vehicles on the drivers side.

The semi skidded to a stop sideways across K-61 blocking the entire highway. The Silverado slid across the highway into the south ditch and came to a stop upright at the edge of a field.

King was pronounced dead at the scene. Pratt County EMS transported Parks to Pratt Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released. Both men were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident.

The accident occurred just after 5 p.m. Because a commercial semi was involved in the accident, a special KHP Critical Highway Accident Response Team conducted an extensive investigation of the crash and crash site.

The investigation took several hours to complete. A portion of K-61 was closed while the investigation took place and traffic was routed around the crash site on county roads until the investigation was completed. The highway was closed about seven hours.

The Kansas Highway Patrol, Pratt County Sheriff’s Office, Kansas Department of Transportation, Pratt County Rescue, Preston Firefighters, Pratt County EMS and Cannonball Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross all responded to the accident as well as CHART that is made up of various KHP officers, mostly from Troop I, the motor carrier unit, said Brian Walter, KHP central communications officer.

A CHART investigation involves a very detailed mapping of the entire crash site that takes several hours. Any time a commercial vehicle is involved in a fatality accident in Kansas a CHART investigation is conducted, Walter said.

Every commercial vehicle has a black box recorder similar to the ones on airplanes that records several parameters in the commercial vehicle. The special team retrieves the black box and incorporates the information into the investigation.