photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Emergency crews work the scene of a fatality accident Wednesday afternoon, April 3, 2024, near Midland Junction north of Lawrence.

A major highway north of North Lawrence is temporarily closed to traffic due to a two-vehicle accident that has left three people dead.

U.S. Highway 24/59 is closed to all traffic between Midland Junction and a location near the Douglas-Jefferson county line, as first responders work the scene of the accident.

A spokesman with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said three people were dead from the crash, which occurred at about 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The sheriff’s office, who is working the scene with the Kansas Highway Patrol, is asking motorists to plan on avoiding the area for the next several hours. The scene of the accident is at the turnoff to the Hamm sanitary landfill.

A Journal-World journalist near the scene observed that the accident had heavily damaged the vehicles involved.

Check back for updates as they become available.