Fatal crash claims life of Hutchinson teen on I-135

MCPHERSON COUNTY, Kan. — A 19-year-old Hutchinson man died early Friday morning after the pickup truck he was riding in rolled multiple times on Interstate 135 in McPherson County.

Joel R. Guffey was pronounced dead following the single-vehicle crash that occurred around 5:40 a.m. on southbound I-135, approximately one mile north of Quivera Road.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, the driver, Bentley D. Eckhoff, 20, also of Hutchinson, was traveling southbound in a 2003 Ford Ranger when the vehicle left the roadway to the left. Eckhoff overcorrected, causing the truck to return to the roadway before rolling multiple times. The vehicle came to rest in the southbound lanes facing southwest.

Eckhoff sustained suspected minor injuries and was transported to Salina Regional Health Center for treatment.

Neither occupant was wearing a safety restraint at the time of the crash, according to the highway patrol report.

Guffey was taken to the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Center. Next of kin were notified at 8:20 a.m. Friday by a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper.

The crash, designated as case 2025-012782, was investigated by the Kansas Highway Patrol. The vehicle was towed from the scene by Dacus Towing & Recovery.

The incident was not a hit-and-run, and no police pursuit was involved, authorities said.