KS Man Garth Huband ID’d As Victim In Tuesday Night Holcomb Fatal Harley Crash

HOLCOMB, Kan. (THECOUNT) — A southwest Kansas man was killed Tuesday night when his motorcycle left the roadway and crashed into a field south of Holcomb, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. James Garth Huband of Garden City, Kansas, was pronounced dead at the scene. Huband was 44.

The crash occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m. at South Holcomb Lane and West Crist Road, roughly four miles south of West River Road in Finney County. According to the KHP report, Huband was operating a 2012 Harley-Davidson Electra southbound on South Holcomb Lane when the motorcycle crossed the centerline into the northbound lane at a curve, traveled off the roadway to the left into a ditch, and came to rest in a field east of the road. Huband was ejected and did not survive. Emergency personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash. The Kansas Highway Patrol has not indicated whether speed, impairment, or road conditions were contributing factors. The investigation remains ongoing. No citations or charges have been announced.

Holcomb is a small city of approximately 2,200 residents in Finney County in the heart of southwest Kansas, situated just west of Garden City along U.S. Highway 50. The area is part of the High Plains region of western Kansas, known for its flat agricultural terrain and wide rural road networks. Garden City, the Finney County seat, lies roughly five miles to the east and serves as the regional hub for commerce, medical services, and emergency response in the area. Congress, where Huband resided, is a small unincorporated community in Kearny County, approximately 30 miles west of Holcomb along the Arkansas River corridor.

Southwest Kansas roadways, particularly the rural two-lane county roads that connect the region’s small communities, have seen a persistent pattern of fatal crashes in recent years. Many of those incidents have involved motorcycles navigating curves and intersections in low-light or nighttime conditions. The stretch of South Holcomb Lane where Tuesday’s crash occurred runs through open farmland south of the Holcomb city limits, with limited lighting and long straightaways that transition into curves — conditions that can be particularly unforgiving for motorcyclists at night.

Finney County, with a population of roughly 40,000, is one of the more populated counties in western Kansas. Its economy is anchored largely by agriculture, particularly cattle feeding and grain production, as well as meatpacking operations including the massive National Beef plant in Liberal and a major Tyson Foods facility in nearby Garden City. The county sits within the Arkansas River valley and is bordered by Kearny County to the west, where Huband lived, and Gray County to the east.

No funeral arrangements have been publicly announced. Anyone with information about the crash is encouraged to contact the Kansas Highway Patrol.

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