Cameron D. Harrison, 25, was looking in the trunk of his car on the shoulder of I-35 near 75th Street in Johnson County last Thursday evening when a Subaru Crosstrek barreling up the right shoulder slammed into him and the rear of his parked 1991 Honda Civic. Harrison, of Shawnee, was transported to an area hospital with a fatal injury. The driver of the Subaru, identified as off-duty Kansas City, Kansas, fire captain Tripper L. Sadler, 47, was taken to a hospital with a suspected minor injury.
According to The Kansas City Star, Sadler was heading northbound on the right shoulder of I-35 about a half-mile south of 75th Street when his 2024 Subaru Crosstrek struck Harrison and his car. The Star reported the crash occurred at about 6:30 p.m., while KCTV5 put the time at around 6:35 p.m. that Thursday. Harrison's Honda had been parked legally on the shoulder with its hazard lights flashing at the time of the crash.
Car Pushed Across Three Lanes of Traffic
The force of the impact pushed Harrison and his car into lanes two, three and four of northbound I-35, the Star's reporting states, while Sadler's Subaru ended up in the right ditch. Accounts differ on where Harrison was pronounced dead: KCTV5 reported he was taken to Overland Park Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, while the station KSHB reported he was pronounced dead at the scene. Sadler, of Bonner Springs, was hospitalized afterward with what was described as a suspected minor injury.
Kansas Highway Patrol Troop A spokesperson Trooper Tiffany Baylark said the cause of the crash remains under investigation. The Star's reporting notes that the speed of the striking vehicle had not yet been determined as of the most recent update. A Kansas Highway Patrol spokesperson said the driver of the striking vehicle was evaluated for impairment, and that evaluation found no indicators of impairment.
Fire Department Confirms Captain Remains on the Job
Kansas City, Kansas, Assistant Fire Chief Scott Schaunaman said the department was aware of the crash and confirmed that the fire captain remains employed by the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department. The department declined to comment further while the crash remains under investigation, according to Schaunaman.
Online court records reviewed as part of the Star's reporting show Sadler has received several traffic citations for speeding over the years, including in Platte County in 2017; in Smith County, Kansas, in 2017 and 2020; in Cloud County, Kansas, in 2018; and in Russell County, Kansas, in 2024. No information has been provided on whether Sadler faces any charges connected to last Thursday's crash.
