Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Three people were hurt in a multiple-car pileup on a busy Wichita highway. It happened just after 2:30 p.m. Tuesday on Interstate 235 between Seneca Street and MacArthur Road.

Kansas Highway Patrol troopers say it started when the driver of a van struck a barrier on I-235. That driver suffered minor injuries.

Investigators say the driver of a pickup truck stopped at the scene of the first accident. The car following behind could not stop in time and rear ended the pickup. That driver also suffered minor injuries. The driver of the truck then left the scene of the accident.

A second pickup truck stopped and was not involved in the previous two accidents. A motorcycle then crashed into that second truck.

The motorcycle rider was taken to a nearby hospital with critical injuries. Troopers say all of the drivers involved were wearing their seatbelts and the motorcycle rider was wearing a helmet.

Troopers say a curve in the road may have prevented the drivers involved from seeing the accidents ahead of them. Drivers are urged to maintain a safe following distance to give themselves enough time to stop in situations like this.