Wrecks add up in the Wichita area during winter weather; Kansas trooper’s car rear ended
The snow was falling in Sedgwick County on Wednesday morning and first responders were called to multiple wrecks with no serious injuries reported, according to a dispatch supervisor.
The supervisor noted a few wrecks:
- A call about a semi leaving the road at around 7:13 a.m. on K-254 near Webb Road. The driver was in the eastbound lanes, the supervisor said.
- A vehicle wreck at around 7:40 a.m. in the northbound lane of I-235. There was also a call for a wreck at around 8:15 a.m. in the 4000 block of 135th Street West.
Trooper Chad Crittenden said on Twitter that Wichita troopers worked more than “50 crashes, checked 44 slides offs and took over 120 calls for service” before noon.
The National Weather Service reported a half-inch of snow at the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport as of 5:50 a.m.
Additionally, a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper was taken to the hospital after being rear-ended along I-135. Trooper Austin Schneider said the trooper was parked on the northbound shoulder after responding to a Kia Soul sliding off the road. The driver of a Toyota Prius changed lanes to take the 77th Street exit and hit the back of the trooper SUV, Schneider said.
Troopers wrote in a KHP crash report that Bobby Ott Massey, 57, of Valley Center, was driving the Prius when the vehicle merged into the exit lane. The Prius “could not stop in time due to road conditions” and rear-ended the trooper’s Dodge Durango, which had its emergency lights activated.
Sedgwick County District Court records show Massey was issued a ticket for “basic rule governing speed of vehicles,” more commonly known as driving too fast for conditions.
The trooper injured in the wreck, identified in the KHP report as George Kyle Downs, 34, of Derby, was taken to Wesley Medical Center with suspected serious injuries. He was treated and released to recover at home, officials said.
HOW TO CHECK KANSAS ROAD CONDITIONS DURING WINTER WEATHER
Drivers can check a map of Kansas highway weather safety conditions at www.kandrive.org/kandrive. Kansas Department of Transportation statewide highway traffic cameras and Wichita cameras are also available online.
Internet users can also follow the paths of Wichita snowplows at www.wichita.gov/PWU/Pages/SnowRemoval.aspx.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management encourages travelers to prepare a home emergency kit that includes food, water, medications, extra clothing, flashlights and batteries, battery-operated NOAA weather radio and other necessities. When traveling during winter storms, fill the fuel tank, charge your cellphone and bring an emergency kit, the state agency advises.
If you know of a closing, cancellation or postponement because of the snowstorm, please email details to The Wichita Eagle at online@wichitaeagle.com. Weather-related photos and videos can be submitted to The Eagle at www.kansas.com/customer-service/submit-photo/.
Contributing: Jason Tidd of The Eagle
This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 9:15 AM.