photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

A Douglas County Sheriff's Office vehicle is pictured in January 2022.

Two drivers were seriously injured early Wednesday morning in a crash on U.S. Highway 40 several miles northwest of Lawrence.

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman George Diepenbrock said in an email that deputies were dispatched to the crash at the intersection of U.S. Highway 40 and East 200 Road at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. That intersection is in northwestern Douglas County, about a mile away from the unincorporated community of Big Springs.

Based on preliminary information, Diepenbrock said the accident occurred when a 21-year-old Olathe man driving an Audi crossed the center line on the highway and hit an SUV driven by a 36-year-old Topeka woman. Both were taken to a Topeka-area hospital with serious injuries, Diepenbrock said.

The crash is under investigation, he said, including to determine whether impairment may have played a role.