ELLSWORTH COUNTY, KS – A Saturday night car crash turned into a bizarre scene in rural Ellsworth County after a driver allegedly struck a bridge, watched his vehicle erupt in flames, and then attempted to hide from authorities while watching them work.
The Incident
Late Saturday evening, the Ellsworth County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a vehicle fire in the 2500 block of Avenue T. Upon arrival, emergency crews discovered a vehicle fully engulfed in flames, but the driver was nowhere to be found.
According to investigators, the driver had struck a concrete guardrail on a county bridge. The impact was so severe that the vehicle became airborne, traveling a “significant distance” before landing on its wheels approximately 200 feet west of the initial point of impact. Shortly after landing, the vehicle caught fire.
The Search and Arrest
Fearing that occupants might have been ejected or were trapped in the surrounding darkness, the sheriff’s office called in additional resources. The Marquette Fire and EMS crews, alongside the McPherson Fire Department, launched a search for “possible injured persons.”
The search ended roughly half a mile west of the wreckage. There, deputies located a Kansas man standing in the dark, watching emergency crews battle the blaze he had allegedly caused.
The suspect was taken into custody and faces multiple charges, including:
- Leaving the scene of an accident.
- Failing to report a motor vehicle accident.
Additional charges are pending for an illegal tag, lack of liability insurance, and interference/obstruction of law enforcement.
“That is the Law”
Both the vehicle and the county bridge sustained significant damage in the wreck. While no injuries were reported, the Sheriff’s Office used the incident as a stern reminder to the public regarding driver responsibility.
