On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, 21-year-old Katelyn Hair was killed in a three-vehicle crash on I-135 in Center Valley, Kansas, in a tragic accident that left the Sedgwick and Center Valley communities in shock. The unfortunate incident happened at 15:20, during a period of significant traffic congestion. The young woman was killed in a series of collisions that followed.
The incident, which began when Katelyn Heyer's Toyota Camry rear-ended a Honda Accord while traveling north, happened within seconds, according to Kansas State Police. Her car veered off course as a result of the incident, veered across the median and eventually into the southbound lanes of the freeway. The massive Ford F-450 truck and the Toyota had a catastrophic head-on collision in these lanes.
Unfortunately, Hair was pronounced dead when emergency crews arrived at the scene despite their quick arrival. The force of the crash was so great that the front of her Toyota Camry was completely crushed. Heyer was not going to be saved, no matter how hard the first responders tried. She was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision, which may have contributed to the fatal outcome, authorities later confirmed.
On the other hand, despite the jolt, the passengers of the other cars in the collision suffered only minor injuries. No significant injuries were reported, although one passenger in the Ford F-450 complained of pain and was treated at the scene. The first car in the sequence of events, the Honda Accord, also managed to get out with its passengers unharmed.
