WABAUNSEE COUNTY, Kan. — A 2-year-old girl died after a March 15 crash on Interstate 70 near the Paxico Rest Area.
The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) identified the child as Diora Lewis. Authorities said she died March 18 at Children's Mercy Hospital after suffering critical injuries.
The crash occurred shortly before 5 p.m. when a 2007 Ford F-150 left the roadway for an unknown reason, overcorrected, crossed multiple lanes and struck a limestone embankment in the median, according to the KHP.
The truck carried the child, her mother, and siblings ages 16, 14 and 11. The driver and the other children sustained minor injuries, KHP said.
Authorities said the toddler was seated on the lap of the front-seat passenger at the time. Kansas law requires children under 4 to be secured in a car seat, according to the KHP.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.