24-year-old pregnant woman who taught in Kansas killed in two-vehicle crash
A pregnant Kansas woman who was a teacher for two school districts died in a crash early Wednesday morning.
She was identified by the Kansas Highway Patrol as Hannah N. Lager, a 24-year-old from Atchison.
Lager was in her first year of teaching Spanish to middle school and high school students at the Valley Falls Unified School District 338, according to Superintendent Volora Hanzlicek, who said Lager “was a great teacher and will be missed by all.”
A note was sent to parents in the district following news of the fatal crash, she said.
Lager was also a teacher for the Jefferson County North school district, according to local news outlets, including WIBW. She is listed as a high school Spanish teacher on the district’s website.
A Facebook post by Benedictine College said Lager, who graduated in 2017, got married last June. She and her husband were expecting their first child in a few months.
According to an online crash log from the highway patrol, the collision happened about 7:35 a.m. on Kansas 4, two miles north of Valley Falls in Jefferson County.
Lager, driving a 2008 Chevrolet Impala, was heading south on the highway when she tried to pass a semi truck, which was also traveling south and trying to merge into her lane, the highway patrol said. It said Lager made an attempt to pass the truck in the opposing northbound lane but overcorrected, lost control and began skidding.
The truck collided with the car on the passenger side.
Both vehicles came to a rest partially on the shoulder and northbound lane of the highway.
Lager was pronounced dead shortly after the crash.
The driver of the semi, identified as Warren E. Hollis, 75, of Valley Falls, was taken to a hospital with a possible injury.
Both drivers were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, the highway patrol indicated.
This story was originally published April 24, 2019 at 6:12 PM with the headline "24-year-old pregnant woman who taught in Kansas killed in two-vehicle crash."
