A 45-year-old Atchison man is dead after he swerved to avoid a Ford Bronco that ran a stop sign, sending his car into a tree. Chad M. Starling was driving a southbound 2001 Toyota Echo on North 12th Street Saturday morning when he tried to dodge the oncoming SUV, lost control, and crashed.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Starling attempted an avoidance maneuver and did not collide with the Bronco, which was driven by 50-year-old Johnnie N. Ross of Atchison, per hayspost.com. The Bronco had been heading eastbound on Kearney Street and failed to stop at a stop sign near North 12th Street, according to the same report. Trying to avoid the SUV, Starling instead lost control of his Toyota, which struck trash cans before slamming into a tree.
Starling was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, the Kansas Highway Patrol told the outlet. He was taken to a hospital in Atchison, where he was pronounced dead, as also reported by FOX4KC.com.
Bronco Occupants Walked Away Unhurt
Ross and his passenger, 52-year-old Tanna Ross, also of Atchison, were not injured in the crash, and both were wearing their seat belts, according to mscnews.net. The outlet reports the crash happened near the intersection of Kearney Street and North 12th Street, placing the time at around 10:30 Saturday morning. A separate account from kake.com described the crash as happening around 10 a.m. that same morning, while hayspost.com's report put it at just after 10:30 a.m.
Kansas Traffic Deaths Trending Down Statewide
Starling's death comes as Kansas has logged 268 traffic-crash fatalities so far in 2026, according to a preliminary report from the state's transportation department cited by kwch.com. That figure is down 8.22% from the same point in 2025, though the station notes the numbers are preliminary and could shift once current investigations wrap up.
