Brett Ballard Suffers Serious Injuries in I-470 Crash at 46

Q: What caused a celebrated basketball coach's modern truck to suddenly veer off a Kansas highway into a concrete pillar?

The cause is not yet known. Authorities have said only that Brett Ballard’s 2024 Ford F-150 drifted off the left side of westbound Interstate 470 near the I-470/I-70 split in Topeka shortly after 8:15 p.m., struck a delineator post, went down an embankment and crashed into a concrete bridge pillar. At this stage, there is no public evidence tying the crash to a mechanical failure, medical episode, speed, impairment, weather or road conditions. The Kansas Highway Patrol has not released any such findings, and the investigation remains ongoing. What is established is that it was a single-vehicle crash, Ballard was alone in the truck, and he was wearing a seat belt. He was taken to Stormont Vail Hospital with serious injuries. So the direct answer to why a celebrated coach’s modern truck suddenly veered off the highway is that investigators have not yet determined or disclosed the reason. Any stronger explanation would be speculation until the patrol releases its findings.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 6

Washburn coach Brett Ballard, 46, was hospitalized with serious injuries after a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 470 in Topeka just after 8:15 p.m. Tuesday.
Kansas Highway Patrol said Ballard’s 2024 Ford F-150 veered off the left side of the highway, hit a delineator post, went down a steep embankment and slammed into a concrete bridge pillar.
Stormont Vail Hospital received Ballard, who was alone in the truck and wearing a seatbelt; authorities have not said what caused the crash and the investigation is ongoing.
Washburn President JuliAnn Mazachek said the university was deeply saddened, as support spread for Ballard, a former Kansas guard who has led the Ichabods for nine seasons with a 198-81 record.