Joachim Lanham, 24, was on day 22 of a New York-to-Los Angeles trip when he was struck near Salina.
SALINA, Kan. — A 24-year-old Norwegian man attempting to rollerblade across the United States died six days after he was struck by an SUV and found unconscious in a roadside ditch near Salina, authorities said.
Joachim Lanham was traveling west on Country Club Road near Morris Drive when the collision occurred Sept. 5, according to the Saline County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were called to the area at about 2:25 p.m. after an off-duty first responder noticed items scattered along the roadway, stopped to investigate and found Lanham unconscious in a ditch. Authorities are investigating the collision as a hit-and-run, and the case has been sent to the Saline County Attorney’s Office for review.
Emergency crews initially took Lanham to Salina Regional Health Center before he was transferred to a Wichita hospital because of the severity of his injuries. He died Sept. 11. His family said he spent six days in a medically induced coma and that his brother, Michael, remained with him during his hospitalization. The family said Lanham was on the 22nd day of a planned rollerblading journey from New York City to Los Angeles when he was struck.
Investigators said an 82-year-old woman later returned to the crash scene while deputies and emergency crews were still there. According to the sheriff’s office, she said she had been driving a 2013 Ford Edge west on Country Club Road when she believed she struck something. She told authorities she turned around to check the area but did not see anything and continued home. After noticing damage to the SUV, authorities said, she returned to the area with another person.
The woman’s name has not been publicly released in the reports reviewed, and authorities had not announced criminal charges as of Wednesday. The Saline County Sheriff’s Office said investigators are continuing to gather information and that the county attorney will determine whether the evidence supports charges. The circumstances surrounding the collision, including what the driver could see before impact, remain part of the investigation.
Lanham had documented his coast-to-coast trip on social media, sharing updates as he crossed the country on rollerblades. His family said he had spoken with his parents by phone shortly before the crash and discussed what long-distance skating meant to him. In a statement shared after his death, the family thanked people who followed and supported his trips and said his adventures were deeply important to him.
The U.S. trip followed another long-distance challenge Lanham completed earlier in 2026. Reports said he had rollerbladed across Australia from Sydney to Perth, traveling thousands of miles across the continent. His social media accounts documented those trips along with other long-distance skating experiences. The New York-to-Los Angeles attempt was another ambitious journey built around the same form of travel.
Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan addressed the crash Tuesday while discussing road safety involving pedestrians, cyclists and others using roads outside vehicles. He said motorists should slow down and provide space when approaching people along the roadway. Soldan said Lanham’s rollerblading on the road was not illegal, though he described the activity as dangerous because of the risks created by traffic.
The investigation remains open. The sheriff’s office and Saline County Attorney’s Office were reviewing the evidence to determine what, if any, charges could result from the collision. No charging decision involving the 82-year-old driver had been publicly announced as of Wednesday.
Author note: Last updated September 23, 2026.