A quiet rural road in Kingman County turned deadly early Sunday morning when 32-year-old Taylor R. Goldsmith, of Cheney, lost his life in a single-vehicle rollover crash. The Kansas Highway Patrol is still piecing together exactly what happened — but the tragedy has already shaken his tight-knit community.
The crash was first reported at around 7:28 a.m. on Southeast 20th Street, about a half-mile east of 150th Avenue and roughly 3.5 miles west of Cheney. What makes the investigation challenging is that troopers don’t yet know when the crash actually happened — this stretch of road sees very little traffic early in the morning, so it’s possible the Camaro sat unnoticed for some time before someone called it in.
According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, Goldsmith was driving a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro eastbound when his car veered off the right side of the road. He was able to bring it back onto the pavement briefly, but then it left the road again — this time to the left — and entered a north ditch. What followed was a violent rollover: the Camaro spun an unknown number of times and came to rest on its driver’s side facing north.
Tragically, Goldsmith — the only person in the vehicle — was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials confirmed he had been wearing his seat belt, though in a high-speed rollover, that doesn’t always ensure survival.
At this stage, investigators are working to reconstruct how exactly the crash unfolded. That means analyzing skid marks, inspecting the damage to the Camaro, and looking into other factors like lighting, terrain, and possible environmental or mechanical issues. Because they don’t know the exact time of the incident, they’re also exploring digital leads — like whether any nearby surveillance or traffic cameras might have caught something — and reaching out for witness accounts.
Goldsmith’s sudden death has left a mark on Cheney, drawing shock and sorrow from his family, friends, and neighbors. Residents are now grappling not just with loss, but with uncertainty, wondering how such a crash could happen in what should have been a routine drive.
On a broader level, the accident is a sobering reminder of how dangerous rural roads can be. Narrow lanes, limited shoulders, and low visibility — especially at night or early dawn — all pose significant risks. Authorities are urging drivers in these areas to stay alert, drive defensively, and give themselves extra margin for error.
For now, the Kansas Highway Patrol’s investigation continues. There’s no official conclusion yet about why Goldsmith’s Camaro left the road. But for the Cheney community, his death is already a devastating, heartbreaking loss.
