A Leavenworth County firefighter responding to a traffic accident early Wednesday morning was killed after his vehicle was struck by a sheriff’s car responding to the same emergency.

Jared M. Moore, 19, Basehor, was killed when his 1994 Dodge Shadow was struck from behind by a Ford Crown Victoria driven by Sheriff’s Deputy Robert L. Peterman Jr., 36, Basehor. Both vehicles were attempting to turn onto Donahoo Road from 155th Street, the Kansas Highway Patrol said.

The accident was reported at 12:03 a.m., according to the Highway Patrol.

Peterman was taken to Cushman Hospital in Leavenworth, where he was treated and released. He was expected to be back on duty today, according to the sheriff’s office.

Moore was taken by helicopter ambulance to University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kan., where he died.

Moore was a volunteer with the Fairmount Township Fire Department. His colleagues were devastated by his death, Chief Jeff Theno said.

“He was a great kid,” Theno said. “He was always smiling. He wanted to make this his profession.”

Tuesday night the Highway Patrol investigated a one-vehicle accident on Interstate 35 near Williamsburg that killed a man and two children. They were among six people in a pickup truck that went into a ditch, hit a guardrail and overturned several times. Three of the occupants were ejected from the vehicle.

Jeremiah Whytus, 2, left, plays with 11-month-old Christian Whytus, both of Kansas City, Kan., in this undated photo. The boys were killed in a one-vehicle accident Tuesday near Williamsburg.

The Highway Patrol identified the fatality victims as Walter Mason, 56; Jeremiah Whytus, 2; and Christian Whytus, 11 months, all of Kansas City, Kan. The driver and two other children were taken to hospitals in Kansas City, Mo.