A truck driver from Fort Morgan, Colorado was seriously injured Tuesday evening after his truck veered off Interstate 70 near Hays, struck a bridge pillar and burst into flames. The crash was reported at 6:42 p.m. about two miles west of the western Kansas city, leaving the vehicle engulfed as emergency crews responded.
According to WIBW, the Kansas Highway Patrol said a 2015 International straight truck was traveling eastbound on I-70 when it veered into the south ditch for an unknown reason. The truck then struck a bridge pillar and caught fire, the patrol reported.
The driver and only occupant of the truck was identified as 36-year-old Amer Bakht-Menawy of Fort Morgan, Colorado. He was transported to Hays Medical Center with serious injuries, per the same account. The patrol said Bakht-Menawy was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash.
A Rough Stretch of Highway in Ellis County
Tuesday's wreck is the latest in a string of serious crashes along this stretch of I-70 in Ellis County. In October, a pickup truck hydroplaned over an overpass and landed on the road below, seriously injuring its driver, a Colorado man, according to KWCH. That crash was reported on a Wednesday afternoon on westbound I-70 a few miles west of Hays, with wet roads cited as a factor.
Another serious wreck in the area happened in 2024, when a 47-year-old man fell asleep while driving westbound on I-70, KWCH reported. His vehicle struck a paved turnaround, causing it to roll approximately three times, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Cause Still Under Review
Investigators have not said what caused the straight truck to drift off the roadway before Tuesday's crash, with the Kansas Highway Patrol describing the reason as unknown. No further details on Bakht-Menawy's condition following his transport to the hospital have been released.
