Wayne Faulkner, Woodson County commissioner, was killed Monday afternoon in a car crash, while his wife, Karen, is recuperating at Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka.
Faulkner, age 72, was serving his first term as a commissioner. He was also a former Kansas Highway Patrolman and former Woodson County Sheriff.
According to WIBW news station and the KHP, Faulkner was driving north on US 75 on Monday afternoon and was turning left onto 130th Road in a Toyota truck when a Ford F150 hit the left rear corner of his vehicle.
David W. Harrier, 73, of Meriden, driver of the F150, had also been headed north on the highway. Harrier entered the southbound lane to pass a Nissan Pathfinder pulling a trailer that had been behind Faulkner’s pickup. However, when he attempted to merge back into the correct lane of travel, he clipped the rear left corner of Faulkner’s pickup.
The contact caused Faulkner’s truck to spin counter-clockwise as the front passenger-side wheel gouged into the asphalt. The vehicle then flipped multiple times and landed upright in the west ditch.
First responders noted that Faulkner was pronounced dead at the scene while his wife, Karen, age 69, was transferred to Topeka with suspected serious injuries. Harrier sustained suspected minor injuries in the collision, however he was not transported to an area hospital.
KHP indicated that everyone involved was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident.
