Post last updated at 8:14 p.m. Thursday, July 25:
A driverless semitruck crashed Thursday and ended up between two homes across the street from the KU football stadium in Lawrence.
Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical first responders received multiple calls about the incident around 1:25 p.m. Thursday.
There were occupants inside at least one of the homes when the crash occurred, but there were no injuries reported, LDCFM Chief Rich Llewellyn said via email.
As of 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon, the truck appeared to be stuck between the home at the northwest corner of Maine Street and Fambrough Drive (11th Street) and the home to its north.
The Lawrence Police Department posted on Facebook about the incident and referred a reporter to that post.
“A driverless semi rolled about 300 feet from 11th and Maine, through a 4-foot retaining wall, over a patio, between two houses, and came to rest against a home’s foundation — causing little damage considering its journey,” according to a Facebook post from LPD.
“… The semi’s driver tells us he put the cab and trailer brakes on before leaving it and, once he saw it moving, tried to catch up, but to no avail,” the post continued.
During the crash, the semitruck struck powerlines, which caused a fire underneath the truck. The fire was contained to the ground beneath the vehicle, according to a news release from LDCFM Thursday evening.
Nearby construction workers who witnessed the incident responded with several fire extinguishers to help contain a small fire that had started, Llewellyn said.
“It’s a good example of ready access to a fire extinguisher preventing the development of a much larger problem,” he said.
The red dot on the map below indicates the approximate location of the crash.
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