Thomas, KS truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Thomas: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Thomas and Ellsworth County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Ellsworth County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 170 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Ellsworth County compares with Kansas
Ellsworth County against Kansas and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Ellsworth County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Ellsworth County | Kansas | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 237.5 | 61.4 | 49.7 | 3.9× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 13.9 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 2.9× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.42 | 0.32 | 0.49 | 1.3× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.8% | 2.1% | 2.3% | 13% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 20.6% | 9.3% | 6.2% | 2.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 10.9% | 23.1% | 23.7% | 53% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 24.9% | 15.2% | 13.8% | 1.6× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 49.1% | 42.2% | 41.9% | 1.2× the state |
| After dark | 27.3% | 23.2% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Ellsworth County has lower values than Kansas for garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above Kansas on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
Ellsworth County at a glance: 13.9 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Kansas: 4.8).
Overview
Police reported 170 crashes involving commercial trucks in Ellsworth County since 2015: 69 people were injured and 23 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 24 days.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Thomas since 2015; patterns below come from Ellsworth County as a whole.
74% of truck crash reports in Ellsworth County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (17.6% of the year) and are lowest in February (4.7%).
November through March accounts for 49.1% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.2% in Kansas.
More truck crashes happen at 10–11 am than at any other hour (8.8%).
Road surface: 20.6% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Kansas: 9.3%).
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Thomas since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-14 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 3 crashes, 1.8% of the total, against 2.1% across Kansas.
Route planning tips for Thomas fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 20.6% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice, above Kansas; plan winter equipment checks before the season.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Ellsworth County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-14 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Ellsworth County) |
|---|---|
| I-070 | 71 |
| I-70 | 15 |
| 10Th Road | 1 |
| 11Th | 1 |
| 15Th | 1 |
| 18Th Road | 1 |
| 3Rd | 1 |
| Douglas | 1 |
Thomas at a glance
| Population | 60 |
| Land area | 36.1 sq mi |
| Density | 2 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 67444) | $58,889 |
| Median home value (ZIP 67444) | $94,699 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Ellsworth County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 17 | +59% | 0.8 |
| 2010s | 16 | -5% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 15 | -9% | 0.8 |
In the 1990s about 11 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 15. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.2 a year in 2016–19 and 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Thomas
How many truck accidents are there in Thomas?
Ellsworth County has had 170 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 69 people and killing 23.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Thomas?
January has the most truck crashes in Ellsworth County, 17.6% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Thomas?
Garbage trucks were involved in 3 reported crashes in Ellsworth County since 2015 (1.8% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Thomas compare with Kansas?
Ellsworth County records 237.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 61.4 across Kansas.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Thomas?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.