Two injury crashes Thursday evening at the U.S. 56/K-156 junction east of Great Bend sent multiple people to the hospital, some with possibly serious injuries, Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir reported. However, initial assessments suggested none of the injuries were life-threatening.

Three or four people were transported via ambulance after each of the two crashes.

The first collision, which occurred sometime between 5:30 and 6 p.m., was a two-vehicle crash and one of the vehicles was a van that may have been involved in human trafficking, the sheriff said. After the collision, six or seven people fled from the van, running north of the Doonan Peterbilt business that is at the intersection.

The second crash occurred as officers were still processing the first one, sometime before 7:30. There were four vehicles involved and one driver is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.