The Kansas Highway patrol says 81-year-old Lee Crum of Oskaloosa was killed and three others were seriously injured in a crash Friday afternoon at 2:40 p.m. on US Highway 59 in Jefferson County.

The patrol said Crum’s 2007 Nissan Optima was northbound on Highway 59 near 62nd street south of Oskaloosa when a southbound Ford F-150 pick-up truck lost control and entered the northbound lane; striking the Optima’s passenger side and sending it into a ditch.

The patrol said Crum was the driver of the Optima. A passenger identified as  Janet Crum, 74, also of Oskaloosa, was transported to a Topeka hospital with serious injuries.
The driver of the F-150 is identified as Nicholas Caudle, 20, of Atchison and his passenger, a 20-year-old Lawrence man, were also taken to Topeka hospitals with serious injuries.

The patrol initially said slick conditions may have contributed to the crash, but the investigation is ongoing. US 59 Highway between  62nd and 54th streets was shut down for about two-and-a-half hours while crews cleared the crash scene. It has since reopened.