Fatal traffic crash reported in Miami County

A 55-year-old man was killed early Wednesday in a head-on traffic crash near Paola in Miami County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol identified the victim as Gerald L. Wolken of Greeley, Kan. Another man, 50-year-old Franklin W. Britton of Salina, Kan., was injured and taken to a hospital.

The crash occurred about 12:20 a.m. on Kansas 68, about a mile and a half east of U.S. 169.

According to the patrol, Wolken’s pickup truck veered across the highway’s center line for an unknown reason and collided head-on with a tractor-trailer driven by Britton.

Wolken was not wearing a seat belt, according to the patrol. Britton was. The extent of his injuries was not known.

Tony Rizzo, trizzo@kcstar.com

This story was originally published January 14, 2015 at 7:54 AM with the headline "Fatal traffic crash reported in Miami County."