A motorist trying to avoid hitting a deer instead struck a guardrail early Tuesday morning on the Kansas Turnpike west of Lawrence, causing a four-vehicle pileup that took out 15 sections of concrete median barriers and guardrails, turnpike officials said.

Both eastbound and westbound lanes of traffic were shut down after the accident, which occurred at 3:23 a.m. about a mile east of the Lecompton interchange. All lanes had reopened by late morning.

The pileup began in the eastbound lanes when the driver of a Pontiac Firebird stopped after striking the guardrail, according to the Kansas Turnpike Authority.

Kansas Highway Patrol reports stated that while the driver, identified as Todd Gold, 20, Parker, Colo., got out of his car and reported the accident by cell phone, the Firebird was struck by a semitrailer that also struck the railing. The semitrailer was driven by Clinton D. Wallace III, 44, Wheat Ridge, Colo.

The Firebird was pushed into the center of the highway where it struck another semitrailer, which struck the median concrete barrier while trying to avoid the accidents. A Dodge pickup truck also struck the Firebird.

Wallace was taken by ambulance to Lawrence Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Debris scattered across the turnpike created a hazard for several other motorists.

“It was a mess. We had concrete and metal all over the place,” a turnpike patrol dispatcher said.

Both eastbound lanes were closed but one lane reopened at 3:38 a.m.

One westbound lane was closed for a short period of time, dispatchers said. All lanes were open shortly before 11 a.m., dispatchers said.