Wreck that closed I-35 in Johnson County for three hours caused by driver headed wrong way
A wrong-way driver crashed head-on into an oncoming car on Interstate 35 early Friday and then the two vehicles were struck by semi-truck, closing the highway for several hours, a Lenexa police spokesman said.
Police received a call shortly after 4:20 a.m. about a driver traveling north in the southbound lanes of I-35 near 119th Street, said Officer Danny Chavez, a spokesman for the Lenexa Police Department.
A couple minutes later, they received another call saying there was a crash just north of 119th involving the wrong-way driver.
Rescuers had to extricate the wrong-way driver from the wreckage. The driver was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, Chavez said. The drivers of the other vehicle and the semi were not seriously injured.
Southbound I-35 was closed for about three hours during the early stages of Friday’s rush hour while police investigated the crash. Drivers who regularly use that route for their morning commute were advised to find another route.
A Kansas City Scout traffic showed traffic at one point at a virtual standstill at the I-35 and Interstate 435 interchange. The wreck was cleared and the highway reopened shortly before 7:30 a.m., according to Kansas City Scout.
