Gardner man identified as victim in fatal storm-related crash

A Gardner man lost his life during Thursday night's storm after he drove into supports for an overhead highway sign along southbound Interstate 35, just north of the Antioch Road exit in Merriam.The Kansas Highway Patrol has identified the victim as Travis Lee Sawyer, 44.The crash report indicates Sawyer was not wearing a seat belt.The fatal path Sawyer took as he veered off the highway is visible from the tire marks.On Friday, there was a shattered windshield and assorted car parts from the Toyota 4-Runner he was driving.You could also see where the overhead highway sign steel supports were ripped off their bolted concrete base.The KHP crash report states that due to Sawyer's high rate of speed during bad weather, he lost control of his vehicle from hydroplaning, meaning his tires lost traction in the rainwater.Randi Commerford with the Johnny Rowlands Driving School provided tips about what to do if your vehicle is hydroplaning."Stay calm. Keep your vehicle straight. Take that foot off the gas. You want to slow down slowly. No sudden movements, no jarring the wheel. You don't want to slam on the brakes," she said.KMBC 9 Weather Radar shows the heavy storm Sawyer was facing at 9:40 p.m. Thursday when he crashed.With severe weather a common occurrence in the metro recently, Commerford also provided tips for navigating it safely."We always want to go under the speed limit. I would say about the 35-mile-per-hour mark is where we start kind of running into traction control issues. So, turning on those hazards. Keep it slow. Take your time," she said.According to KHP, the massive sign was dangling over the highway after the crash, clinging to its median connection across the southbound lanes.Then, after a tractor-trailer went under it, the sign fell on the highway, shutting down traffic for about three hours.Nobody was hurt when the sign came down.A Kansas Department of Transportation spokesperson said there's no timeline yet for repair or replacement of the massive sign.A spokesperson for AAA also said it's not a good idea to stop along highway underpasses during severe weather like tornadoes and hail.The reasons include that wind tunnels and oncoming traffic can make it more hazardous.