Pickup driver dies in head-on crash with semi

An Emporia man was killed in a head-on collision of his pickup truck and a semi-trailer truck early Thursday on US-56 east of Remington Rd. / K-256.

According to Kansas Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at 5:57 a.m. when a westbound 2019 Chevrolet Silverado driven by Gregory S. Campbell, 32, Emporia, crossed US-56’s centerline and struck an eastbound semi head-on.

The semi, a 2015 Freightliner pulling a trailer, overturned and blocked the highway. The pickup ended up facing northwest in the north ditch.

Campbell, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene. The semi driver, Brian A. McGrew, 51, Longford, was wearing a seatbelt. He complained of pain but declined to be taken to a hospital. Longford is a town of 73 people in southwest Clay County, 25 miles southwest of Clay Center.

Marion firefighters were dispatched at 6 a.m. because Campbell’s pickup reportedly was on fire, and he reportedly was trapped inside.

Campell’s extrication and death were confirmed at 6:14 a.m. The county’s emergency manager also was dispatched because diesel fuel was leaking from the semi.

The wreck left the highway closed most of the day. Eastbound vehicles were rerouted off US-56 onto K-256 and Main St. at Remington Rd. and Cedar St.