TOPEKA — A Kansas Highway Patrol investigation has found no obvious mechanical cause for a deadly crash April 1 on I-35 near Williamsburg in Osage County. It appears driver error caused the crash that killed five people and injured 13 people among a Minnesota motocross racing team, highway patrol Lt. Josh Kellerman said. Adam Kerber, 17, Jordan, Minn., was driving a converted 28-ton Freightliner box truck that was pulling a custom trailer containing motorcycles and ATVs when the rig went over a bridge railing and plunged into a creek just southwest of Williamsburg. Most of the dead and injured were children and teenagers in an extended family and friends. Those killed were Jessica Kerber, 10; James Kerber, 12; and Joy Kerber, 14, all of Jordan; Melissa Kerber, 24; and Tom Kerber, 25, of New Prague, Minn. They were returning from a motocross competition in Texas. The National Transportation Safety Board was also taking a look at the deadly crash, especially if there were any Minnesota laws that allowed the driver to legally drive such a large vehicle and whether laws and licensing requirements could have been a factor in the accident. Kellerman said that Osage County Attorney Brandon Jones doesn’t plan to file any charges in the accident.
Thursday, June 7, 9 a.m.
