A crash in western Kansas claims the lives of five people, including three children.

The accident occurred just after 1pm yesterday afternoon (on Thursday) on K-156 in Hodgeman County, or about 25 miles northeast of Dodge City. A 2005 Dodge Dakota driven by 48-year-old Rony Martinez-Meneses was eastbound when its passenger tires dropped off the edge of the roadway. The driver over corrected sending the pickup truck into a spin. The vehicle then struck a 2023 Ford Ranger in the oncoming lane. The driver of the Ranger – 45-year-old Adam Edwards of Garden City – was killed. Four passengers in the Dodge were also killed. They have been identified as 29-year-old Brianna Kauffman, 7-year-old Ryder Kauffman, 5-year-old RyKer Kauffman, and 3-year-old Raleah Kauffman, all of Garden City.

Martinez-Meneses, the sole survivor of the crash, was taken to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita with serious injuries.