Two fatal crashes hit I-35 in Johnson County within 48 hours

Two drivers died in separate single-vehicle crashes on northbound Interstate 35 and an exit ramp in Johnson County less than two days apart, according to Kansas Highway Patrol crash logs.

Jatin Kumar, 25, of Santa Clara, California, died early Wednesday, Oct. 7, after the semitrailer he was driving overturned on northbound I-35 in Olathe. Two days earlier, on Monday, Oct. 5, Angela M. Carter, 52, of Olathe, died after her SUV left the highway on the northbound I-35 exit ramp at the 75th Street interchange near the Merriam–Overland Park boundary.

The Oct. 7 crash

Kumar's 2020 Freightliner semi drifted onto the right shoulder of northbound I-35 about 0.4 miles south of the West 127th Street overpass at approximately 2:15 a.m., according to the KHP crash log. The driver overcorrected, and the semi overturned, struck the median wall and came to rest at milepost 218.8.

Kumar died at the scene.

He was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the preliminary crash report. No other vehicles were involved.

The semi was hauling cooking oil, which leaked onto the highway after the crash, Fox 4 KC reported. The spill contributed to a nearly eight-hour closure of all northbound I-35 lanes. Traffic backed up to East 151st Street during the Wednesday morning rush, according to The Kansas City Star.

All lanes reopened by 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to Fox 4 KC.

The Olathe Police Department posted about the closure on its Facebook page at 3:30 a.m. that morning, warning drivers that northbound lanes would remain shut for several hours, the Johnson County Post reported.

The Oct. 5 crash

Carter was driving a 2024 Chevrolet Suburban on the northbound I-35 exit ramp to 75th Street at about 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5, according to the KHP crash log. The Suburban left the roadway, struck a guardrail about 200 feet south of 75th Street, continued across the intersection, hit several raised medians and came to rest in a ditch.

Carter died at the scene. She was wearing a seat belt.

Recorded radio traffic from emergency responders indicated her condition may have been a medical emergency rather than a trauma caused by the crash, the Johnson County Post reported. That crash occurred in the Merriam area, not in Olathe.