TOPEKA, KS — A woman who stopped to help after a crash on U.S. 75 in Topeka died when a pickup truck veered into the roadside scene and struck her. The Kansas Highway Patrol says Sarah J. McLaughlin-Olson, 44, of Topeka, had gone to render aid after an earlier collision just before 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Shawnee County.
McLaughlin-Olson was pronounced dead at the scene and later taken to the Shawnee County Coroner’s Office. The chain of events began when a 2021 Honda Civic crossed the grass median after a southbound crash and came to rest on the left shoulder of the northbound lanes near the 57th Street off-ramp.
How the first crash unfolded on U.S. 75
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, the first collision happened in the southbound lanes of U.S. 75 just south of the 57th Street exit in Topeka. The Honda Civic was driven by Amy R. Shotts, 41, of Wakarusa, Kansas. After the crash, the car crossed the median and ended up on the left shoulder of the northbound side.
That left the vehicle in a position where traffic had to slow and other drivers began to stop. The shoulder where the Honda came to rest became the focus of the roadside emergency, with several motorists pulling over to help the people involved. One vehicle even made contact with the Honda while it was parked on the shoulder.
Drivers stopped to help before the scene turned dangerous
What happened next shows how quickly a rescue scene can change. Several cars stopped to assist after the first crash, and the patrol says traffic slowed in response to the earlier wreck. The roadside area was already crowded with stopped vehicles when another driver approached the scene.
McLaughlin-Olson went to render aid to the Honda’s driver, acting as a Good Samaritan at the shoulder. While the people nearby were trying to help, the situation remained vulnerable because the crash site sat close to active traffic on a busy roadway. The patrol says the pickup driver braked after seeing vehicles stopped ahead and then veered left to avoid them.
A pickup swerved left and struck the car and pedestrian
The second vehicle involved was a 2013 Ford F350 driven by Mason W. Allen, 18, of Decatur, Iowa. As Allen approached the collision scene in the northbound lanes, he braked because cars were stopped to render aid. The pickup then moved left to avoid the vehicles in the travel lanes.
During that maneuver, the Ford struck the Honda on the left shoulder and hit McLaughlin-Olson, who was standing nearby to help. The Kansas Highway Patrol says Allen and the three passengers in the pickup were not injured. Shotts also was not injured in the sequence of crashes.
Kansas Highway Patrol details the people involved
The highway patrol identified the people tied to the crash by name, age and hometown. Shotts was driving the Honda from Wakarusa, while Allen was behind the wheel of the Ford pickup and McLaughlin-Olson lived in Topeka. The patrol said the first crash and the second impact both occurred near the same stretch of roadway in Shawnee County.
Officials also noted that Allen and the passengers in the pickup were not wearing seat belts. The patrol did not say whether the occupants of the Honda were restrained. No additional injuries were reported beyond McLaughlin-Olson’s death, and the investigation remained focused on the crash sequence at the roadside.
A reminder of the risks at roadside crash scenes
The death of McLaughlin-Olson underscores the danger faced by people who stop to help at highway crashes. Even when drivers slow down, the mix of damaged vehicles, distracted traffic and tight shoulders can make a scene hazardous in seconds. In this case, a person who came to assist became the fatal victim of the second collision.
For Shawnee County drivers, the crash also highlights how important it can be to approach stalled traffic carefully and give emergency and roadside activity as much room as possible. The Kansas Highway Patrol has not announced any further details, and the circumstances around the first crash and the pickup’s maneuver were still being documented.
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