GARDNER — The Kansas Highway Patrol said it has located the semi-truck involved in a crash that seriously injured a pregnant 33-year-old Gardner woman last week on I-35 just north of Gardner. The truck was found near Des Moines, Iowa. The highway patrol said the drivers and trucking company are fully cooperating and no charges will be filed in the case. Highway Patrol Lt. Tom Catania says the drivers didn’t know that Nikki McClure plowed into the back of their trailer. The truck was fully loaded and weighed 40 tons. It’s not uncommon for the drivers of such heavily-loaded trucks not to realize they’ve been rear-ended, Catania said. The truck was going at a much slower speed when McClure hit the trailer, leaving part of her car’s hood impaled in the back of the trailer. Surgeons delivered her baby shortly after she was hospitalized because of the crash. She remains in serious condition in a Kansas City hospital. Catania thanked the media and the public. “We really appreciate their assistance, and without them, we probably would not have been able to identify the truck or the driver,” he said.
Tuesday, Feb. 14, 4 p.m.
