Joachim Lanham was 22 days into a rollerblading trek from New York to Los Angeles when he was struck along a rural Kansas highway and left in a roadside ditch. The 24-year-old Norwegian athlete died six days later at a Wichita hospital, and as of this week, the 82-year-old driver accused of hitting him has not been charged.
Emergency deputies responded to Country Club Road near Morris Drive, northeast of Salina, at approximately 2:25 p.m. on September 5 after an off-duty first responder noticed scattered debris on the road and discovered Lanham unconscious in a roadside ditch on the north side of the highway, according to KSAL News. He was rushed to Salina Regional Health Center before being transferred to the intensive care unit at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, per the New York Post. He spent six days in a medically induced coma before he died from his injuries on September 11.
Salina sits about 175 miles outside Kansas City, and Lanham was on day 22 of his coast-to-coast attempt when the crash happened, the Post reports. His family said his brother Michael held his hand throughout the week and at the very end, and they said his adventures meant the world to him. The family later shared the last video he recorded before the crash, which showed a butterfly flapping its wings on his foot.
Driver Returned to the Scene After Noticing Damage
The 82-year-old woman was driving a 2013 Ford Edge SUV west on Country Club Road at the time of the collision, according to the Saline County Sheriff's Office. She returned to the crash scene with a friend while deputies were actively investigating, telling officers she noticed damage to her SUV after getting home, called a friend, and returned to check the area where she thought she had hit something, KSAL News reported.
She told authorities she thought she had hit something, turned around, saw nothing, and continued home, only to notice the damage to her car afterward and call a friend to accompany her back to the scene. Lt. Scott Trembley said the woman knew she struck something but was unsure what it was. The case has since been handed over to the Saline County Attorney's Office, which is determining whether the driver will face charges.
What Kansas Law Says About Leaving the Scene
Under Kansas statute K.S.A. 8-1602, leaving the scene of a vehicular accident that results in death is classified as a severity level 6 person felony, but the charge escalates to a severity level 4 person felony if the driver knew or reasonably should have known that the crash resulted in injury or death, according to the 2024 Session Laws of Kansas. Kansas amended the statute under what's known as Levi's Law in 2024 specifically to stiffen hit-and-run penalties.
Kansas law under K.S.A. 8-247 also requires drivers aged 65 and older to renew their license in person every four years and pass a vision test under K.S.A. 8-240, per Nolo. The state does not require age-based driving re-tests.
A Final Call Home and a Cross-Continental Career
Lanham spoke by phone with his parents 40 minutes before the crash, telling them how much long-distance rollerblading meant to him, the Post reports. On the day of the accident, he shared a video of himself skating on empty Kansas roads, captioning a post about being in the state during a heatwave and saying he was on a mission and would succeed despite the weather.
The trek across America followed an even longer expedition earlier in the year. Prior to his U.S. attempt, Lanham completed a 5,500-kilometer, 53-day inline skating trek across Australia from Sydney to Perth in February, according to PerthNow, a journey the Post reports covered more than 3,665 miles. Lanham said he first began rollerblading at age 15 and later accepted a bet at age 17 to skate across Denmark before attempting his continent-crossing journeys in Australia and the United States, PerthNow reported. His family expressed gratitude for the support given to him throughout his adventures.
Part of a Larger National Trend
Country Club Road near Morris Drive, where the collision occurred, is a rural stretch of roadway in Saline County northeast of Salina, according to KMAJ 1440. The collision occurred on that rural stretch of roadway.
Lanham's death adds to a sobering national conversation about pedestrian safety. Kansas is pursuing its Drive To Zero safety initiative.
