KANSAS — Authorities in Kansas are investigating a tragic single-vehicle crash that claimed the life of 36-year-old Megan Nikolai Stephens of Burlington, Colorado, early Sunday morning.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, the fatal accident occurred around 8:11 a.m. on K-27 Highway, approximately six miles north of Syracuse in Hamilton County. The crash involved a 2024 Dodge Ram pickup truck traveling southbound when it veered off the right shoulder of the highway for unknown reasons.
Investigators believe that in an attempt to regain control, Stephens overcorrected by steering sharply to the left, causing the truck to spin clockwise and leave the roadway before entering a nearby ditch. The vehicle rolled multiple times before coming to a stop in the west ditch along the highway.
Emergency personnel, including sheriff’s deputies and paramedics, arrived quickly at the scene. They found the truck heavily damaged and Stephens in critical condition. Despite life-saving efforts and immediate transport to St. Catherine’s Hospital in Garden City, he was tragically pronounced deceased a short time later.
Officials confirmed that Stephens was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash — a factor investigators say may have contributed to the severity of his injuries.
Part of K-27 Highway was temporarily closed for several hours while troopers conducted an on-site investigation and cleared the wreckage. The Kansas Highway Patrol continues to review evidence and data from the scene to determine