Texas snow plow driver, 25, is killed after losing control of the truck he was using to grit the roads which then landed on top of him after being thrown from the vehicle
- Kansas Department of Transportation snowplow Stephen Windler, 25, died about 6am Saturday on U.S. Highway 69
- A police crash report says his truck ‘traveled to the right, traversing the shoulder and drove into the grass’ before it rolled over
- Windler was thrown from the vehicle which landed on top of him
A 25-year-old snowplow driver for the Kansas Department of Transportation is dead after the truck he was driving on U.S. Highway 69 rolled over.
The crash happened around 6am Saturday in southern Johnson County just outside the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Officials say the rollover happened as roads remained slick from a winter storm that had moved through the area Friday night.
Kansas Department of Transportation snowplow Stephen Windler, 25, died about 6am Saturday on U.S. Highway 69 after his plow overturned (file photo)
The driver has been identified by the Kansas Highway Patrol as Stephen Windler of Paola.
A police crash report says his truck ‘traveled to the right, traversing the shoulder and drove into the grass’ before it rolled over.
The truck rotated counter-clockwise, overturned and rolled, dumping salt and ejecting the driver.
Just after Windler was thrown from the vehicle, it then landed on top of him.
Windler was described as ‘both experienced and dedicated to serving the people of Johnson County and the state of Kansas’ in a Saturday afternoon news conference led the Kansas Secretary of Transportation Julie Lorenz. He had been with KDOT for three years and was out treating the roads by himself at the time of the crash.
A police crash report says his truck ‘traveled to the right, traversing the shoulder and drove into the grass’ before it rolled over and landed on top of him (file photo)
‘I’ve extended my thoughts and prayers to the entire KDOT family this morning and we will continue to embrace Stephen’s family and friends affected by this loss,’ Lorenz said.
‘When people are out there clearing the roads, they are putting their lives at risk so that we can be safe, and we all owe state workers a debt of gratitude for keeping us safe,’ she continued.
Gov. Laura Kelly also tweeted about the loss, saying: ‘My heart is breaking for the family of this dedicated employee. Our KDOT personnel work very hard, at all hours, in dangerous conditions to make our roads safe for their fellow Kansans.’
Snow and ice covered freeways, highways and roads across parts of the Midwest as the storm moved Saturday toward the Northeast and New England.
Some northern parts of New England could see up to 18 inches of snow.