2 kids seriously hurt, up to 20 greyhounds escape in fiery triple-fatality
Three people from out of the county were killed, and two preschoolers were seriously injured in a fiery head-on collision at 12:10 p.m. Friday a mile east of Hillsboro on US-56.
Up to 20 greyhounds in a trailer pulled by one of the vehicles escaped. Two were discovered dead. Law enforcement officers euthanized a third. The remainder were being sought on surrounding farmland.
According to Kansas Highway Patrol, 30-year-old driver Nathan D. Puett of Salina crossed the center line with his eastbound 2010 Jeep Grand Caravan and crashed it head-on into a westbound 2000 Ford F-150 driven by James L. Potter, 70, of Emporia.
Both drivers and Potter's passenger, Jody L. Potter, 61, also of Emporia, died at the scene. Puett's passengers — 5-year-old Aspyn J. Goldsberry and 3-year-old Jensen D. Tomkinson, both of Salina — were taken to Wesley Medical Center, Wichita, by Marion County ambulances. Their injuries were deemed serious but not life-threatening.
Potter's pickup was pulling the greyhound trailer. The accident occured four-tenths of a mile west of Limestone Rd.
US-56 was closed most of the afternoon for investigation and cleanup. Firefighters from Marion and Hillsboro extinguished a smoky fire that erupted from the charred remains of the vehicles.
Last modified Feb. 27, 2021