Topeka Man Dies in Lawrence Rollover, Another Hospitalized in Kansas Turnpike Crash

Two separate crashes involving men from Topeka occurred recently in Kansas. Benjamin Eddie Thomas Brooks, 22, died after his Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck rolled over and he was ejected near Midland Junction north of Lawrence; the crash was determined to be a single-vehicle incident with no other vehicles involved. Law enforcement and medics attempted life-saving measures at the scene. Separately, 21-year-old Camden Barta was hospitalized with serious injuries after his Lincoln MKZ left the road on the Kansas Turnpike near Emporia, hitting a fence and entering a ditch; he was not wearing a seatbelt at the time. The Kansas Highway Patrol and local EMS responded to Barta's crash, which remains under investigation. Both incidents highlight the dangers of single-vehicle crashes and the consequences of not wearing seatbelts.