Truck rollover claims life of Wallace man

Chase County Sheriff’s deputies said the cause of a semi truck rollover that claimed the life of Aaron Gier, 36, of Wallace last week remains uncertain. 

Deputy Duncan Einspahr said the 911 call came into the Chase County dispatch center at 1:07 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20. He and Deputy Rob Browning responded immediately to the scene about six miles west of Champion on Road 734.

Einspahr said Gier was eastbound on Road 734 in a 1999 Freightliner semi and cattle trailer.

He said the truck and trailer veered into the north ditch, jackknifed and then rolled over on the passenger side of the truck. The truck came to rest in a pasture about 100 feet north of the gravel road. 

Einspahr said Gier was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected from the truck. Gier was pronounced dead at the scene. 

In addition to the Sheriff’s Office, Chase County EMS personnel and Imperial firemen responded to the scene. 

Deputy Einspahr said there did not appear to be any action taken by Gier to pull the truck back on the road. 

As a result, Einspahr said they suspect Gier may have suffered some kind of medical episode that led to the accident. 

Gier, who was driving for a company out of Hershey, was traveling in tandem with James Kirkpatrick of Maxwell.

Gier delivered his load of cattle to a field west of Stromberger’s feedlot and was headed back to Wallace. 

Einspahr said Kirkpatrick was about 10 to 15 minutes behind Gier. He was the first to come up on the accident which occurred between Avenues 320 and 321, and made the emergency call. 

Gier graduated from Wallace High School in 2001.

A memorial service was held Tuesday in Wallace.

An obituary appears here.