An SUV driven by an off-duty Kansas City, Kansas fire captain struck a Shawnee woman and her parked car on the shoulder of Interstate 35 in Johnson County.

Katherine Allison Harrison, 25, was killed in the Oct. 29 crash, the Kansas Highway Patrol reported. The crash happened around 6:35 p.m. on northbound I-35 near 75th Street, on the border of Lenexa and Overland Park.

Harrison was standing behind her 1991 Honda, which was legally parked on the right shoulder with its hazard lights on, looking into the trunk, according to a Kansas Highway Patrol crash log. A 2024 Subaru Crosstrek traveling northbound on the right shoulder struck Harrison and the rear of her car.

The impact pushed Harrison and her Honda into three northbound lanes of I-35. The Subaru came to rest in the right ditch.

Harrison was taken to a hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, the crash log stated. The driver, Tripper L. Sadler, 47, of Bonner Springs, was taken to a hospital with a suspected minor injury.

The Kansas City Star reported Nov. 3 that Sadler is an off-duty Kansas City, Kansas, fire captain. The Star reported that Trooper Tiffany Baylark, a Kansas Highway Patrol Troop A spokesperson, said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Baylark told the Star that Sadler was evaluated for impairment and that the evaluation found no indicators of impairment. The speed of the striking vehicle had not been determined as of that report.

Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department assistant chief Scott Schaunaman confirmed to the Star that the department was aware of the crash and that Sadler remains employed. Schaunaman said the department could not comment further while the investigation continues.

The Johnson County Post reported that the crash log does not say how far the Subaru traveled on the shoulder before the collision. The Post also reported that witnesses and other drivers stopped to check for injuries and begin first aid. Firefighters from Overland Park and Lenexa responded along with paramedics from two Johnson County Med-Act ambulances.

Northbound I-35 was closed at 87th Street around 8 p.m. while troopers used survey equipment and a drone to document the scene, the Post reported. All lanes reopened at 11:40 p.m.

No charges against Sadler have been announced. The Kansas Highway Patrol continues to investigate the crash.