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.

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Fire under investigation at Westar facility in Lawrence

Posted: February 5, 2014 - 4:48am
Updated: February 5, 2014 - 2:01pm

Firefighters from several Douglas County township fire departments are on the scene of a reported building fire at the Westar power plant.

Crews were called to the plant shortly before 4 a.m. on reports of black smoke coming from a heavy equipment building on the property located at 1250 N. 1800 Road.

Arriving crews reported heavy black smoke coming from around the doors of the 60x60ft building.

It took crews about 40 minutes to begin attacking the fire. There were apparent issues with a establishing a solid water supply and the gauges on one fire truck were said to be frozen.

Around 5 a.m. crews were ordered to evacuate the building and begin a defensive attack from the exterior as fire had began burning through the roof.

Crews reported the fire to be under control at 6:48 a.m..

The Kansas state fire marshal's office has been called in to investigate what caused the fire.

No injuries were reported.

Shane Batchelder, a Westar spokesman tells the Lawrence Journal-World, an official cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Batchelder said the fire did not spread beyond the building, which he said houses large equipment like bulldozers. Nothing involved in the production of energy at the plant was affected, Batchelder said.

Stay with Operation 100 News on this blog and on Twitter for the latest details as they become available. Remember where you heard this news first, Operation 100 News, reporting the news to the public as it breaks.

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Off-duty police officer killed in Wednesday morning crash

Posted: January 2, 2013 - 3:01am
Updated: January 3, 2013 - 12:42am

Lawrence police officer Matthew Edward Klock, 29
Photo provided by the Lawrence Police Department

Update:

Lawrence Police and the Kansas Highway Patrol confirmed early Wednesday evening that the man killed in this morning's accident was an off-duty Lawrence police officer.

Troopers say Officer Matthew Edward Klock, 29, was killed when his 2012 Nissan Altima collided with a pole near W. 6th Street and Wakarusa Drive.

The Kansas Highway Patrol crash log of the incident says that Klock's vehicle was eastbound on the inside lane of 6th Street, when the vehicle went left of center and struck a light pole on the east side of the intersection with Wakarusa Drive. Klock was not wearing a seat belt. Troopers continue to investigate what, if any, role alcohol or slick roads may have played in the accident's cause.

Klock joined the Lawrence Police Department in 2007.

Lawrence Police Sergeant Trent McKinley told 6 News Lawrence that "a member of the force drove to Derby, Kansas, where Klock grew up, to personally notify family members this morning."

Original report:

Lawrence Police are investigating this morning after one person was fatally injured in an apparent single vehicle accident.

Officers were initially dispatched on a non-injury accident at the intersection of W. 6th Street and Wakarusa Drive just after 2:15 Wednesday morning.

On arrival at 2:20 a.m., officers reported the lone occupant of the vehicle was unconscious. Medics were immediately dispatched to the scene and upon their arrival reported one vehicle with "major damage".

The occupant was initially said to be in critical condition as of 2:30 a.m.. Medics pronounced the person to be deceased at the scene, just before 2:40 a.m..

Police have shutdown the intersection completely as they investigate the accident.

Very few details were immediately available. It remains unclear what the vehicle struck.

Report from Operation 100 News' reporting partners at the Lawrence Journal-World.

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You saw this story as it broke from Operation 100 News on Twitter. No details from any Kansas City area media until after 5:30 a.m., 20 minutes after this report was shared on Operation 100's public twitter account (@Op100News).

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Fully involved house fire just west of Lawrence

Posted; July 8, 2012 - 5:02am
Updated: July 8, 2012 - 5:57am

Firefighters from several area Townships are on scene of a residential structure fire at 1565 E 800 Road, just  west of Highway 40 and K-10.

Crews were dispatched around 4:50 a.m.. Those responding crews reported flames visible from Highway 40 and K-10. Once units arrived on scene they reported the second floor was fully involved with fire. All residents of the home are said to be out of the structure.

Incident Command has requested a county-wide tender response for assistance in establishing a water supply to fight the fire.

The fire was reported to be under control at 5:55 a.m..

No injuries have been reported at the scene.

As new details become available, they can be found here from our reporting partners at the Lawrence Journal-World.

Stay with Operation 100 News on this blog and on Twitter for the latest details as they become available. Remember where you head this news first, Operation 100 News, reporting the news to the public as it breaks.

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Large brush fire in west Lawrence

Posted: July 5, 2012 - 12:45pm
Updated: July 6, 2012 - 3:40am

Photo by Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical was dispatched to a grass fire in the 6000 block of Bob Billings Parkway and George Williams Way at 10:20 a.m.. A media release says that due to extremely dry conditions, wind gusts and an abundance of dry vegetation, the fire began to spread rapidly to the northeast potentially affecting several homes along Palisades Street and Langston Hughes Elementary School. The incident was upgraded to a structure fire with mutual aid requests from numerous neighboring departments.

Mutual aid was received from; Eudora Township, Wakarusa Township, Lecompton Township, Willow Springs Township, and Kanwaka Township.

In addition to the Douglas County departments, mutual aid was also requested from several Johnson County departments which included; Olathe, Lenexa, Overland Park, and Shawnee Fire Departments. Johnson County Med-Act also assisted with emergency medical coverage.

Photo courtesy of Frozen Pixel Studios

Numerous homes in the 6200 block of Palisades street were evacuated until the fire could be contained. All residents were allowed back into their homes by 12:30 p.m..

No injuries were reported to Fire Department personnel and the American Red Cross provided rehydration assistance to multiple responding agencies.

Investigators say the fire was sparked after a squirrel came into contact with overhead electrical power lines, causing a spark which ignited the vegetation beneath the line.

Photo courtesy of Frozen Pixel Studios

Officials say there is not a dollar loss associated with the vegetation burned, however minor damages are being assessed of the houses that were adjacent to the burned area.

Additional information and photos from Operation 100 News reporting partners at the Lawrence Journal-World.