Lyon County, KS — April 5, 2023, Ryan Miller and Jacob Suenram were killed and four others were injured due to a semi-truck accident near Emporia.

Investigators said that the incident happened just after 6:00 p.m. along U.S. Highway 50 in the area of Road C, west of Emporia.

According to officials, the incident began along eastbound lanes when a semi-truck somehow crossed into oncoming traffic. Doing so, it crashed with an SUV which was occupied by 67-year-old Timothy Hoekstra and 69-year-old Judith Hoekstra. Their SUV then collided with another semi-truck. The original semi continued and crashed into another SUV driven by 29-year-old Ryan Miller as well as a third SUV in which 32-year-old Jacob Suenram was the driver.

As a result of the collision, Suenram and Miller both succumbed to fatal injuries. The Hoekstras, the driver of the first semi, and a child in Suenram's vehicle were all injured. Currently, the factors leading up to the crash are under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

To put this simply, a semi-truck crossing into oncoming lanes is usually a sign that driver was doing something wrong. Evidence could show the same happened here. But at the end of the day, jumping to conclusions isn't going to get grieving families the answers they deserve. It's important to let the evidence speak for itself, and that could show all kinds of unusual possible factors.

While things like distraction and fatigue are more common, prudent investigators know to also look into things like medical conditions, a tire blowout, road hazards, mechanical issues, cargo shifts, poor training or a lack of maintenance, etc. Sometimes, it's all just unavoidable. Other times, it's the result of numerous parties all failing their responsibilities until a fatal crash becomes inevitable. Which will it be here, and will there be appropriate consequences for two families suffering indescribable hardship and someone's baby nearly being killed? Maybe witnesses or locals who know more could help shed light on what led to this awful event.

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