UPDATE: Texas Man Arrested in Kansas Crash that Killed Woman, Girl

A Texas man has been arrested in a head-on Kansas crash that killed a mother and her 5-year-old daughter and critically injured the woman’s son.

The 42-year-old Houston driver is jailed in Geary County on $250,000 bond on suspicion of two counts of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence and two other counts. No formal charges have been filed.

Kansas Highway Trooper Ben Gardner says 26-year-old Jessica Michelle Thompson, of Junction City, had taken her children out of school Tuesday for a medical appointment. They were returning when a large box truck crossed the median on Interstate 70 and crashed into the family’s vehicle in Geary County.

The crash killed Thompson and her daughter, Leah Michelle Thompson. Her 6-year-old son was flown to a Wichita hospital in critical condition.

Original Story:

A young mother and her daughter were both killed, and her young son was injured in a two-vehicle wrong way crash on Interstate 70 near Junction City late Tuesday morning.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, 26-year-old Jessica Thompson of Junction City was driving a 2006 Ford Five Hundred passenger car, headed west on the interstate.

A 2011 International box truck was headed east. The truck swerved across the median and into the west bound lanes, and struck the car. Both vehicles came to rest in a ditch.

Thompson was killed in the crash. Her daughter, 5-year-old Leah Thompson, was also killed. Her son, 6-year-old Jaydon Thompson, was injured and was flown to a Wichita hospital.

The driver of the truck, 42-year-old Steven Johnson from Houston, Texas, was not hurt.

Everyone involved in the crash was buckled up.

The crash happened at 10:49 Tuesday morning, near the Grand View Plaza exit in Geary County.