Snow light, accidents few in Lawrence

The second snow storm in less than a week moved out of Kansas on Tuesday, leaving the Lawrence area with little snow and only a few traffic problems.

“We only got an inch,” 6News meteorologist Matt Sayers said of the snow, which fell steadily all morning.

Paved roadways in most areas were only wet, but snow covered the ground by mid-morning. Although area law enforcement agencies received few reports of traffic accidents, a report of a multicar pile-up on Kansas Highway 10 sent Douglas County Sheriff’s officers to the Wakarusa River bridge east of Lawrence. It turned out only two vehicles were involved.

About 7 a.m. an eastbound pickup truck went out of control and struck the side of the bridge before stopping in the south lane. Another eastbound vehicle struck the truck. There were no serious injuries, officers said.

Shortly after 9 a.m. a car went off of the Kansas Turnpike just west of the Lecompton interchange. That was followed by a chain reaction series of collisions involving two semi-tractor trailers and at least two smaller vehicles, turnpike authority dispatchers said. There were no serious injuries.

Most of northeastern Kansas received only an inch or two of snow during the latest storm, Sayers said.

The snow caused more problems elsewhere in Kansas, however. A Denver man was killed early Tuesday when his pickup truck crossed the median strip on Interstate 70 in central Kansas in Ellsworth County and collided with a Greyhound bus, the Kansas Highway Patrol said. The driver was identified as Luis A. Enriquez-Valenzuela, 20.

The bus driver and six of his 31 passengers had minor injuries from the crash, which occurred at 1:47 a.m. They were taken to Ellsworth County Hospital, where a nursing supervisor said they were treated and released.

KU students walk on campus, bundled up against the cold and snow. About an inch of snow fell Tuesday in Lawrence.

The Highway Patrol said the highway was icy and slick in spots but it wasn’t snowing at the time.

No more snow is expected for a few days, Sayers said.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.