Turnpike reopens after fatal accident

The Kansas Turnpike has now reopened after a fatal accident this morning involving a semi and a pickup truck.

The accident happened around 9:05 a.m. on westbound I-70 in the Tonganoxie area.

A passenger in the pickup truck, Santiago Campos-Ramirez, age 19, of Topeka, died in the accident, according to the Kansas Turnpike Authority trooper’s report.

The trooper’s report stated both vehicles were westbound on I-70 when the pickup truck struck the semi in the rear. Then the pickup truck hit the median barrier and ejected all the occupants out of the passenger door, the report stated.

The driver of the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado pickup was a 30-year-old man from Topeka, Kan., who was injured and taken to the hospital, according to the report.

A 19-year-old male passenger was injured.

The driver of the 2017 Freightliner semi truck, a 49-year-old man from Fort Cobb, Okla., was not injured, according to the report.