Wichita teen dies after car hits bridge pillar in early-morning collision

WICHITA, Kan. (WIBW) - A Wichita teenager has passed away after the car he was driving hit a bridge pillar during an early-morning collision over the weekend.

The Kansas Highway Patrol Crash Log indicates that around 12:55 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 17, emergency crews were called to the area of mile marker 13.9 on southbound I-235 in Northwest Wichita.

When first responders arrived, they said they found a 2014 Infinity 4-door vehicle driven by Santiago D. Gomez, 17, of Wichita, had been headed south on the interstate when the car veered off the road.

KHP said Gomez overcorrected and crossed the highway all the way to the inside shoulder where he overcorrected again and lost control of the car. The Infinity slid off the interstate to the right and hit a bridge pillar.

First responders said Gomez was rushed to Ascension Via Christ St. Francis Hospital in Wichita with life-threatening injuries, however, he was pronounced dead by hospital staff. He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.