Wrong-way driver causes crash south of Lawrence

Posted: January 2, 2019 - 11:44 a.m.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says a wrong-way driver caused a head-on crash south of Lawrence on New Year's Day.

Troopers say the crash occurred just after 6 p.m. in the southbound lanes of U.S. 59 Highway at North 1200 Road, or about three-quarters of a mile south of Kansas Highway 10.

The Highway Patrol's preliminary crash report says a 54-year-old Eudora man was driving a 2015 Jeep Wrangler northbound in the southbound lanes of the highway. A 74-year-old Ottawa woman was driving southbound in a 2012 Toyota Camry with her six-year-old grandson as a passenger.

The wrong-way Jeep crashed head-on with the Toyota at the intersection of U.S. 59 and North 1200 Road.

Troopers say the crash caused the Toyota to spin and come to rest in the middle of the intersection, while the wrong-way Jeep stopped on North 1200 Road.

Both drivers were transported to hospitals by Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical ambulances. The man driving the Jeep was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital to be checked out. The woman driving the Toyota, along with her grandson, were transported to the Overland Park Regional Medical Center with what Troopers describe as a "suspected minor injury." The six-year-old boy was not injured but was transported with his grandmother until his parents could arrive to be with him.

All three people involved in the crash were wearing seatbelts.

Troopers arrested the driver of the Jeep for suspicion of DUI, transporting an open container of alcohol, and aggravated battery causing bodily harm while DUI. Formal charges have not been filed.

Operation 100 News does not release the names of individuals involved in crashes unless they are charged with a crime. As of this report, no formal charges have been filed.

Media notification available

All comments are moderated. Inappropriate and/or abusive comments will not be published. More information.

DgCo Weather: Winter WX Advisory issued

Posted: December 19, 2011 - 4:40am
Updated: December 20, 2011 - 4:16pm

CANCELLED: December 20, 4:15 a.m. More information on cancellation.

The National Weather Service in Topeka has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for wintry precipitation. The Advisory will go into effect at 12:00 a.m. Tuesday morning and remain in place until 6:00 p.m. Tuesday evening. The previous Winter Storm Watch has been canceled.

The advisory area includes the Kansas counties of Douglas, Lyon and Osage. Cities include; Lawrence and Emporia.

Click map to view larger

Forecasters now say that rain will begin to develop Monday morning and transition to snow late Monday evening into Tuesday. Total snow accumulations of one to three inches is expected in the advisory area. Periods of light sleet and freezing drizzle are also expected overnight into Tuesday morning. Winds are expected to be from the north to northeast and 15 to 25 miles per hour with gusts to around 35 miles per hour.

Hazardous driving conditions from snowfall and ice accumulations as well as reduced visibilities are also possible, according to the National Weather Service in Topeka.

Click to view image full size
Released: December 19,  10:48 a.m.

Click image to view full size
Released: December 19, 4:35 a.m.

More from the City of Lawrence can be found here.

Attention News Media LINK

Winter Weather Watch, Douglas County, CANCELED

Posted: December 18, 2011 - 4:30am
Updated: December 19, 2011 - 4:35am

The National Weather Service in Topeka has CANCELED the Winter Weather Watch. The watch area did include the city of Lawrence and all of Douglas County.

The watch goes into effect Monday, December 19th at 6:00 p.m., and will remain in place until Tuesday, December 20th at 6:00 p.m..

Shaded area is under the watch
Click image to view larger

Forecasters say that rain and snow are expected to develop Monday and transition to snow Monday evening into Tuesday. Accumulating snow is expected to end by late Tuesday afternoon.

Total snow and ice accumulations are possible in the range of four to eight inches. Light accumulations of sleet and freezing drizzle may also occur.

Winds are expected to be between 15 and 20 miles per hour with gusts to 30 miles per hour.

Drivers should expect possibly hazardous driving conditions due to heavy snowfall and ice accumulations and reduced visibilities.

View more on this Watch from the National Weather Service office in Topeka, Kansas.

Attention News Media LINK

KHP releases Holiday Weekend activity numbers

Posted: December 1, 2011 - 12:21pm
Updated: December 1, 2011 - 2:51pm

Related Story: Stepped up Holiday Enforcement

The Kansas Highway Patrol has released its Thanksgiving Weekend Holiday activity. The activity reporting period began at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23rd and ran through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 27th.

Preliminary numbers indicate that it was a fairly safe weekend on Kansas roads, with the Patrol working no fatal crashes, according to a news release.

Activity

2011

2010

Total Fatal Crashes

0

2

Total Fatalities

0

2

DUI Related Crashes

3

4

DUI Related Fatalities

0

2

DUI Arrests

24

32

Speed Citations

1,400

1,505

Speed Warnings

1,245

1,527

Adult Seatbelt Citations

342

531

Adult Seatbelt Warnings

118

53

Teen Seatbelt Citations

9

21

Teen Seatbelt Warnings

2

3

Child Restraint Citations

39

34

Child Restraint Warnings

7

9

Motorists Assisted

1,426

1,251

Over the holiday weekend, the Kansas Highway Patrol was participating in the Special Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP), which began November 21, and ran until November 27. The Kansas Department of Transportation provided a grant for the additional enforcement.


Attention News Media LINK

Stepped up Holiday Enforcement

Posted: November 20, 2011 - 3:24am
Updated: November 20, 2011 - 4:00am

Preliminary results from KHP regarding this enforcement effort. Released: December 1, 2011 LINK

Law Enforcement throughout the Douglas and Johnson County area are participating in the Kansas Thanksgiving Traffic Enforcement Campaign. The campaign will begin Monday, November 21 and last through Sunday, November 27, 2011. A grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation will enable area law enforcement to have more officers present on area roadways to aggressively enforce Kansas traffic laws. Officers will be looking especially for impaired drivers and for children, teens, and adults who are not legally and properly secured with a seat belt or child safety restraint system.

According to KDOT, the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (Wednesday-Sunday) commonly outranks all other holidays in its number of alcohol related crashes. Those driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, endanger not only themselves, but also their passengers, other motorists, and pedestrians. Across Kansas, six persons - most of them innocent - are killed or injured in nine alcohol-related crashes each day. KDOT says compared with non-alcohol-related crashes, vehicle occupants in alcohol-related crashes are over two and a half times more likely to be injured or killed. Each week across Kansas over 300 drivers are arrested for driving under the influence. 

Failure to take the time to buckle up is also responsible for needless death and maiming. Those who do not buckle up are about 12 times more likely to be killed and almost twice as likely to suffer injury as those who do buckle up. Even worse is the fact that the injuries suffered by those who are unbuckled are likely to be much more severe or disabling than those suffered by an occupant who is properly restrained. According to KDOT, which tracks all crashes in the state, crashes are most likely to occur within a short distance from home.

Area law enforcement reminds the public that if you are going to be drink, always designate a non-drinking driver. Make arrangements ahead of time.

Information provided by:

• Lawrence Police Department
• Olathe Police Department
• Kansas Highway Patrol
• Kansas Department of Transportation

Attention News Media LINK

Traffic Alert: US-56 in Douglas County

KDOT will begin work on eastbound and westbound lanes of US-56 today, Monday, September 19th. Traffic will be reduced to one lane between the US-59 junction to the Douglas/Osage County line for chip seal overlay application. Crews will be working during daylight hours, Monday through Friday.

Traffic will be directed through the work zone using flaggers and a pilot car operation. KDOT advises drivers to expect delays of up to 15 minutes. A news release from KDOT states that "when drivers enter the project work zone on US-56 from adjacent roadways, they must not enter onto either highway until they are directed by the flaggers/pilot car."

Reduced speed limits will be in place and a 12-foot lane width restriction throughout the project work zone will also be enforced during the daylight working hours.

The chip seal overlay application project is scheduled to be completed by Friday, September 23, weather permitting.

Information provided by the Kansas Department of Transportation.