A crash east of Salina claims the life of a Salina man.

Saline County Sheriff’s Deputies worked the scene which was in the 1800 block of E. Highway 40.

Sheriff Roger Soldan tells KSAL News that the crash happened at 3:54 p.m.  on Tuesday when a 2002 Ford Explorer was driving westbound. The SUV changed lanes to pass another vehicle when it crashed  mostly head-on with a 2007 Freightliner semi truck.

Rudolfo Sotello, 37, Salina, was driving the SUV and was killed in the crash.

62-year-old Beloit man, James Saint, was driving the semi. He was uninjured.

The crash closed down a chunk of Old Highway 40 in to Tuesday evening from Ohio St. to Marymount Rd.

Original: First responders were working a fatal crash east of Salina late Tuesday afternoon.

At around 4:00 law enforcement and EMS were dispatched to a two-vehicle crash in the 1800 block of East Highway 40.

Not a lot of details were immediately available, but officials told KSAL News a head-on crash involved a semi and and SUV.

The highway was closed in both directions for about a mile, between Ohio Street and Marymount Road.

The Saline County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the crash, and will provide more details when they are available.