Recent Blog Posts

Overland Park bicyclist seriously injured

Samuel M. Wendt — Sun, 06 May 2012 20:50:00 GMT

A 63-year-old bicyclist was critically injured Sunday morning at 112th and Metcalf in Overland Park when he was hit by a car.

The bicyclist was taken to a hospital with critical injuries. The car's 28-year-old driver was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The Kansas City Star

www.kansascity.com

Sunday, May 6, 2012 1:16 p.m.

Two-vehicle crash kills one, injures two

Samuel M. Wendt — Sat, 05 May 2012 20:55:00 GMT

One person is confirmed dead in a two-vehicle accident at Republic Road and Parkcrest Avenue on Friday night, Springfield Police Sgt. Tom Royal said early Saturday.

Royal said the other two people involved in the accident didn’t suffer life-threatening injuries.

A westbound-traveling pickup crossed over the center line and struck a eastbound SUV causing the accident shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, Royal said.

The accident shut down Republic Road during the overnight hours while the investigation occurred.

The Springfield News Leader

www.news-leader.com

Saturday, May 5, 2012 9:59 p.m.

Woman injured when scooter struck

Samuel M. Wendt — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:18:00 GMT

A Springfield woman was treated and released at Memorial Medical Center Thursday after her scooter was struck from behind near Stevenson Drive and Dirksen Parkway.

Serena Kelly, 48, of the 3900 block of Mapleshade Court, was heading west on Stevenson at 7:45 a.m. on a Honda scooter when the traffic in front of her slowed. She stopped, but her scooter was struck from behind by a car driven by Douglas Ryherd, 57, of the 1300 block of Markwood Lane.

Ryherd told police he looked away from traffic for a moment, and when he looked back, vehicles in front of him were slowing down quickly, a police report said.

The impact forced the scooter into a sport utility vehicle that was in front of Kelly. The SUV was driven by Lynn Bierma, 54, of the Hawthorne Lane.

Ryherd and Bierma were not injured.

Ryherd was cited by police for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, the report said.

The State Journal Register

www.sj-r.com

Friday, May 6, 2012 5:46 a.m.

Three injured in accident

Samuel M. Wendt — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:40:00 GMT

Three people were taken to Memorial Medical Center Tuesday following a two-car accident at Rutledge and Reynolds streets.

Kathryn Weakly, 28, of St. Cabrini Court and Mark Marada, 24, of the 200 block of East Clinton Street were treated and released at Memorial Medical Center.

Charissa Melton, 28, of Edinburg was listed in good condition Tuesday morning, a hospital spokesman said.

Melton was heading south on Rutledge about 8 a.m. when her car collided with one driven by Weakly, who was westbound on Reynolds.

Weakly told police she stopped at the stop sign, was waved through the intersection by a man in a truck and then proceeded slowly. Melton and a witness said Weakly did not stop at the stop sign, a Springfield police report said.

Marada was a passenger in Melton’s car.

Weakly was cited for failure to yield, the report said.

The State Journal Register

www.sj-r.com

Tuesday, May 2, 2012 5:33 .a.m.

Baldwin City woman hurt in I-35 accident

Samuel M. Wendt — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 19:45:00 GMT

A woman from Baldwin City, Kan., was injured Sunday in a two-vehicle accident on Interstate 35 in Lenexa.

The driver of a pick-up truck lost control of his vehicle on the wet pavement about 11:55 a.m. and swiped the Subaru passenger car that 33-year-old Erica Bulmer was driving, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. She was taken to the University of Kansas Medical Center for injuries suffered in the accident.

The Kansas City Star

www.kansascity.com

Sunday, April 29, 2012 3:28 p.m.

St. Louis woman killed in hit-and-run crash

Samuel M. Wendt — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:22:00 GMT

Police were searching for the hit-and-run driver who fatally injured a woman as she was crossing the street in front of a popular downtown bar early this morning, the Broadway Oyster Bar.

Amber Wood, 23, of the 2700 block of Accomac Street, was hit and killed about 1:50 a.m. by a car speeding south in the 700 block of South Broadway near Gratiot Street.

Wood was thrown about 80 feet and died at the scene, police said.

A man, 29, who was crossing the street with Wood, was also hit and suffered cuts to his face, hip and leg.

Police withheld his identity. He is expected to be released from a hospital.

Police describe the car that fled the scene as a gray Pontiac Grand Prix or Grand Am. The vehicle had Missouri license plates, a broken passenger headlight and possible damage to its undercarriage.

The Post Dispatch

www.stltoday.com

Friday, April 27, 2012 2:41 p.m.

Motorcyclist hurt in four-vehicle accident

Samuel M. Wendt — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:53:00 GMT

A motorcyclist was injured Thursday in a four-vehicle crash at Veterans and J. David Jones parkways.

Lt. James Henry of the Springfield Police Department said the crash occurred when a woman driving a Pontiac Vibe east on Veterans Parkway collided with a sport utility vehicle, a sedan and the motorcycle.

The names of the drivers and the injured motorcyclist were not available Thursday.

The eastbound Pontiac, which was on the shoulder, overtook and sideswiped the sport utility vehicle, which was eastbound on Veterans in the right turn lane, attempting to head south on J. David Jones. The Pontiac next struck a southbound sedan on J. David Jones and then collided with the northbound motorcycle. The Pontiac then went down an embankment where it finally stopped, Henry said.

The motorcyclist suffered broken bones and head injuries, but his injuries are not considered life-threatening, Henry said.

The driver of the Pontiac complained of shoulder pain. No one else appeared to suffer any serious injuries. The crash occurred around 5 p.m

The State Journal Register

www.sj-r.com

Friday, April 27, 2012 6:14 a.m.

Springfield man killed in Christian County crash Monday afternoon

Samuel M. Wendt — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:43:00 GMT

A Springfield man died Monday afternoon following a two-vehicle crash in Christian County.

James A. Kachingwe, 38, was driving southbound on Farmers Branch Road 1 mile north of Ozark at 12:20 p.m. when his 2005 Chrysler Sebring crossed the center lane and struck a 1989 Chevrolet C20 truck head-on, according to a Missouri Highway Patrol crash report.

Kachingwe was pronounced dead at Cox South Hospital later that afternoon, according to a crash report.

Larry L. Jefferies, 81, of Springfield, was driving the Chevrolet truck and sustained serious injuries.

Springfield News-Leader

www.news-leader.com

Thursday, April 24, 2012 7:15 a.m.

Family sues over car crash that killed 3 in mid-Missouri

Samuel M. Wendt — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:58:00 GMT

The family of a man who died along with his wife and son in a traffic crash is suing the driver of the other vehicle in the crash.

Mary Robinson of Holts Summit is suing Emily Frakes, 19, of Eldon.

Frakes was driving a car that collided Feb. 28 with a vehicle driven by Marty Wilcox of Eldon. Wilcox, his wife, Elisa, and their 3-year-old son, Marty Jr., died in the crash on Highway 52 near Tuscumbia in Miller County.

The couple's 2-day-old son, Gabriel, survived.

Frakes was released from a hospital on April 6. The lawsuit claims she was careless and negligent before the accident.

The Post Dispatch

www.stltoday.com

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 7:57 a.m.

Festus man killed in two-vehicle crash

Samuel M. Wendt — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:50:00 GMT

A Festus man was killed Monday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 61 in Jefferson County, the Missouri Highway Patrol said.

Logan M. Benoist, 23, was a passenger in a Nissan Altima driven by Jordan Domenick, 23, also of Festus.

The patrol said Domenick was northbound on the highway and, unable to stop for traffic ahead, pulled into the path of a southbound vehicle.

The front of Domenick's vehicle struck the front of the southbound SUV. Benoist was pronounced dead by emergency responders at 2:52 p.m.

The drivers of both vehicles suffered moderate injuries. The crash happened on Highway 61 less than a mile south of Interstate 55.

The Post Dispatch

www.stltoday.com

Tuesday, April 24, 2012 8:00 a.m.

Crash reduces traffic to one lane

Samuel M. Wendt — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:07:00 GMT

A two-vehicle crash at Illinois 4 and Bruns Lane caused northbound traffic to be reduced to one lane Sunday afternoon.

The crash occurred about 2:45 p.m. in the middle of the intersection.

Illinois State Police said the driver of a truck attempted to cross Illinois 4 on Bruns Lane with a green light, but was hit by a northbound vehicle that allegedly ran a red light.

The driver of the northbound car was taken to a local hospital for a minor injury, according to Illinois State Police.

The State Journal Register

www.sj-r.com

Monday, April 23, 2012 6:05 a.m.

Lawrence Avenue blocked for crash

Samuel M. Wendt — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:10:00 GMT

A two-vehicle crash forced police to block off part of Lawrence Avenue near Walnut Street on Saturday evening.

The accident occurred about 6:30 p.m. Police said the driver of a vehicle heading east on Lawrence ran a red light and struck a vehicle heading north on Walnut.

The names of the drivers were not immediately available.

Police said the driver of the northbound car was taken to Memorial Medical Center for a non life-threatening injury.

Both vehicles had to be towed. Lawrence Avenue was blocked off for about 45 minutes.

The State Journal-Register

www.sj-r.com

Sunday, April 22, 2012 5:33 a.m.

St. Louis man killed, four injured in Callaway County crash

Samuel M. Wendt — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:34:00 GMT

A St. Louis man was killed Thursday night and four others injured when a car crashed through a median barrier of Interstate 70 in Callaway County and collided head-on with a tractor-trailer, authorities said.

The crash occurred about 9:20 p.m. in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near Kingdom City in Callaway County, the Missouri Highway Patrol said. A westbound 2001 Pontiac lost control, crashed through a median and hit a 2006 Freightliner tractor-trailer.

The patrol said Erskin L. Johnson, 22, a passenger in the Pontiac, died at the crash scene.

Survivors were taken to University Hospital for treatment of moderate to serious injuries.

The patrol identified them as: Jason L. Hopkins, 24, of St. Louis, who was driving the car, and passengers Marcus L. Singleton, 21, of St. Louis, Mary A. Chapman, 18, and Bryana J. Jordan, both of Columbia.

Nobody in the Pontiac was wearing seat belts, the patrol said.

A University Hospital spokeswoman said Singleton was in fair condition this morning. Jordan was treated and released. The hospital had no information about Hopkins or Chapman.

The truck driver, Charles M. Boerstler, 64, of Madison, SD, was not hurt.

The Post Dispatch

www.stltoday.com

Friday, April 20, 2012 6:28 a.m.

Wichita-area jogger killed in hit-and-run accident

Samuel M. Wendt — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:30:00 GMT

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a 65-year-old Kechi, Kan., man as a hit-and-run accident, KFDI is reporting.

A Kechi woman called 911 early Friday morning to report her husband missing after he had failed to return from a jog more than 3 hours before, KFDI reported.

The man’s body was discovered on 61st Street North, apparently having been struck by a vehicle.

The Kansas City Star

www.kansascity.com

Friday, April 20, 2012 6:56 a.m.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/20/3565960/kechi-jogger-killed-in-hit-and.html#storylink=cpy

Woman injured in hit-and-run accident

Samuel M. Wendt — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:25:00 GMT

A three-car, hit-and-run accident at Eighth Street and Eastman Avenue sent a Decatur woman to Memorial Medial Center with minor injuries Friday.

Janet Morlan, 69, was a passenger in a car driven by Richard Morlan, 57, also of Decatur.

Richard Morlan told police he was going south on Eighth Street about 1:30 p.m. and stopped at the intersection. When he continued, the back of his minivan was struck by a westbound vehicle on Eastman that didn’t stop at the stop sign.

The force of the impact knocked the minivan into a pickup that was going north on Eighth Street. The pickup was driven by Gary Hamilton, 63, of Riverton.

Richard Morlan and Hamilton said that after the crash, the driver of the westbound car stopped, got out of his vehicle, looked at the wrecked cars and then got back into his vehicle and left the area. Neither driver was injured. Janet Morlan was treated and released at Memorial.

The State Journal Register

www.sj-r.com

Sunday, April 15, 2012 6:39 a.m.