OVERLAND PARK, KS (KCTV) -
Two men are dead following a car wreck Saturday morning in Overland Park.
The impact was so loud it woke one neighbor up. When he came outside just before 6 a.m. to see what happened, he knew it was bad.
"The red truck was completely on its side, wrapped around a light pole," Doug McLaughlin said of what he saw when he came out of his house.
McLaughlin said wrecks are all too common at West 103rd Street and Nall Avenue.
"There have been many collisions at this intersection. It's a long, straight road and people just get going too fast," he said.
Overland Park police worked for several hours Saturday morning to piece together the wreck. What they know for sure is a pickup truck was heading south on Nall and T-boned a sedan going west on 103rd.
The driver of the pickup, identified as 49-year-old Wayne A. Willeford, of Prairie Village, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the passenger car, identified as 77-year-old William G. Pennington, of Overland Park, was transported to a nearby hospital with critical injuries where he later died. No other occupants were in the vehicles.
"At this time, it is still under investigation, but the lights did appear to be functioning properly. But, as far as whose light was what color, that's still under investigation," Officer Michelle Koos said.
Koos said side impacts can be some of the most devastating wrecks.
"There's distance and space to work with in the front and rear of a vehicle. But the side impact, we all know we are sitting right next to the door. There's just not a lot of space to absorb some of that impact," she said.
According to a witness, the pickup truck ran a red light when he struck the sedan.
"I was out here in a couple minutes to see if there was anything that could be done, make sure 911 got called. By the time I was out here, there were already sirens coming," McLaughlin said.
Police are still working to see if speed or impairment contributed to the crash.
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Brenda Poor/KCTV
Brenda Poor/KCTV
Brenda Poor/KCTV
