One person is dead following a fiery crash involving two semi trucks on I-35 yesterday morning, August 14th. The call came in just before 10:30 yesterday morning of a semi truck on fire at mile marker 191 on southbound I-35. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, 29-year-old Zachary Williams, of Liberty, Tennessee, was driving his truck northbound in the outside lane and for an unknown reason, drifted through the inside lane, crossed the median, and went into the southbound lanes.
The driver of a second semi, 52-year-old Thomas Romero, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, traveling southbound, saw Williams semi crossing the median and tried to avoid a crash by going into the grass. However, the two trucks collided, with Williams truck ending up in the ditch fully engulfed in flames. Williams was pronounced deceased at the scene. Romero was taken to KU Medical Center with suspected serious injuries.
Both, Engine 1 and Engine 2 from Ottawa responded to the scene to assist in getting the fire out. The southbound lanes of I-35 were closed for a time while crews worked the scene.
