The Ranger resting on the Niles Road sign. Photos courtesy Saline County Sheriff's Office
Like many law enforcement personnel on Friday, Saline County Sheriff's deputies found themselves working a second accident while out helping with another accident because of the wintry conditions.
Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said Monday that deputies were helping with traffic control for an accident on Interstate 70 (I-70) near the Niles Road exit that the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) was working. While the deputies were there, at approximately noon, a 1999 Ford Ranger that was westbound on I-70 and driven by Rex Bartley, 56, of Clay Center, slid off the road and struck the Niles Road sign east of the Niles Road exit, Soldan said.
Bartley complained of shoulder pain and was transported by Salina EMS to Salina Regional Health Center (SRHC, Soldan added.
The Niles Road exit can be seen in the distance.
The accident KHP was working happened shortly before 11 a.m. Friday. According to KHP, a 2003 GMC Sierra 1500 driven by Andres Pacheco-Olivas, 24, of Garden City, was westbound on I-70 when Pacheco-Olivas lost control and the pickup went to the right and struck a bridge pillar at the Niles exit.
Pacheco-Olivas was transported to SRHC with suspected serious injuries, the KHP report noted.