Three friends killed in deer-vehicle collision Sunday night

Three Kansas women died after the van they were in collided with a deer Sunday evening in the eastern part of the state.

The wreck happened at about 5:30 p.m. on U.S. 169 about four miles south of Iola in Allen County, according to a report from the Kansas Highway Patrol.

One car was heading north as a van driven by Sherry Bingham was heading south. A deer came out of the east ditch and hit the northbound car. Bingham then hit the deer, causing her van to go into the southbound ditch.

Bingham, 33, of Chanute; Ciara Edwards, 32, of Chanute; and Samantha McMillan, 37, of Walnut, were killed, the report says.

According to a public post on McMillan’s Facebook account by her boyfriend, the three women traveling together were friends.

According to some comments on Facebook, the women had been Christmas shopping. McMillan checked into Five Below, a store in Liberty, Missouri, at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Erica Hasler said she met McMillan and Edwards about six years ago. She described them as being “beautiful women inside and out.”

She said McMillan was a blast to be around and that Edwards, who was a paraeducator at her high school, helped her during a tough time.

“I had a child my freshman year and she helped me through as in pushing me to become an amazing single mother and continue through school,” Hasler said.

Edwards was a mother herself, as well as McMillan and Bingham.

The Eagle has also reached out to Bingham’s family.

This story was originally published November 13, 2017 at 7:11 AM with the headline "Three friends killed in deer-vehicle collision Sunday night."