Lenexa man, 29, killed in wrong-way crash on I-435 had parked on shoulder prior to wreck

The man killed in a wrong-way crash with a semitrailer hauling two trailers on Interstate 435 Wednesday was identified as Tyler S. Burrows, 29, of Lenexa, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

The 4 a.m. crash closed I-435 in Lenexa for several hours, including the morning rush hour.

Prior to the crash, Burrows had parked on the shoulder of southbound I-435 near where 79th Street crosses over the highway, according to a preliminary crash report from the Highway Patrol.

Burrows then drove into the lanes of traffic the wrong way and struck a southbound semitrailer head-on. The force of the crash separated the pickup into two parts, said Lt. Jason Wohlgemuth, a Highway Patrol spokesman.

Burrows was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the semitrailer was not injured, Wohlgemuth said.

Debris from the wreck hit a third vehicle. That driver and a passenger were not injured.

The two surviving drivers were tested for impairment and were found not impaired.

In searching for the cause of such wrong-way crashes, the patrol typically looks for possible impairment, the possibility that the driver was unfamiliar with the road, or a suicide.

Wrong-way wrecks occur “too often, unfortunately,” Wohlgemuth said.

The interstate remained closed for several hours while the Highway Patrol investigated the crash and a hazmat team cleaned up fuel spill from the wreck.

This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 3:34 PM.