Johnson- photo Geary Co. Sheriff
GEARY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Geary County are investigating the driver of a truck involved in Tuesday’s fatal Interstate 70 accident.
Steven Johnson, 42, Houston, Texas, has been arrested on two counts of suspicion of Involuntary Manslaughter while Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs, plus one count each of Driving Under Influence of Alcohol or Drugs, and Improper Driving on Laned Roadway, according to the Geary County Sheriff’s Department booking report.
Johnson is expected to have a first appearance in Geary County District Court on Wednesday.
A Kansas woman and her daughter died in the accident.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 International Truck driven by Johnson was eastbound on Interstate 70 six miles east of U.S. 77 when it entered the median and onto westbound lanes and struck a 2006 Ford 500 driven by Jessica Michelle Thompson Junction City.
Tuesday’s fatal I-70 crash photo courtesy WIBW-TV
Thompson and her 5-year-old daughter Leah Michelle Thompson were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Penwell Gable Mortuary.
An emergency medical team flew the driver’s 6-year-old son Jaydon Allan Thompson to Wesley Medical Center.
Johnson, who was not wearing a seat belt, was not injured, according to the KHP.
The crash shut down westbound lanes of Interstate 70 at Grandview Plaza most of Tuesday afternoon.