24-Year-Old Rollerblading Across America Dies After Saline County Collision

A 24-year-old Norwegian man attempting to rollerblade across the United States has died after being struck by a vehicle while traveling through rural Saline County.

Joachim Andrew Lanham was traveling from New York to Los Angeles on rollerblades when he was struck from behind on Sept. 5 while traveling through the Salina area.

Lanham died from his injuries on Sept. 11.

Salina311 spoke directly with Saline County Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Trembley on Sunday regarding the investigation.

Trembley confirmed that Lanham was struck from behind and was discovered in a ditch within approximately 30 minutes by an emergency responder who happened to be traveling through the area. First aid was provided before Lanham was transported for medical treatment.

Investigators later identified and interviewed the driver involved in the collision.

Lanham was an experienced long-distance rollerblader. His family has said he was wearing a reflective vest and helmet at the time of the collision.

Before beginning his New York-to-Los Angeles trip, Lanham had completed several other long-distance rollerblading journeys, including Sydney to Perth in Australia, the length of Norway and Oslo to Vienna.

The Saline County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate the collision.

As of Sept. 21, no charges related to Lanham’s death have been publicly announced.