BENEDICT — A Southeast Kansas woman was killed when the sport utility vehicle she was driving collided headon with a semi-tractor trailer Monday night southwest of Benedict in Wilson County, officials said.
The crash was reported at 8:05 p.m. on K-39, about 3.5 miles southwest of Benedict.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, a 2013 Ford Explorer driven by Heather I. VanLeeuwen, 38, Savonburg, was eastbound on K-39 when veered into the westbound lane and struck the driver’s side corner of 2022 Kenworth semi-tractor that was westbound on the highway. Ruslan Shcherbakov, 34, of Cary, Illinois, was driving the semi.
Following the collision, the SUV left the road to the right and overturned, coming to rest on its driver’s side in the ditch, the KHP report said.
The semi also went off the road to the right and came to rest upright in the north ditch.
VanLeeuwen was pronounced dead at the scene. The patrol said VanLeeuwen was wearing her seat belt.
Shcherbakov was not injured. The patrol said Shcherbakov was wearing his seat belt.
