Two occupants in a pickup were hospitalized Friday morning after a spectacular crash in Gas sent the truck careening into a house.
Ethan Weide, 19, Iola, was eastbound on U.S. 54 in his pickup when he was struck by a minivan driven by Tabitha Cox, 38, LaHarpe.
The Kansas Highway Patrol said Cox had turned in front of Weide’s pickup at the highway’s intersection with Taylor Street.
The impact knocked the pickup into the yard of an unoccupied Airbnb, bashing in the corner of the single-story home. The truck careened back onto the highway, with the cab separating from the frame.
Weide and a passenger, Logan Keaton, 19, Gas, were both taken to Allen County Regional Hospital. Keaton was later flown to a metropolitan hospital for his injuries. Cox also was treated at the hospital for what troopers described as minor injuries.
Four passengers in Newman’s van escaped serious injury.
The 7:28 a.m. accident affected traffic for more than an hour afterward, as emergency crews limited passing motorists to the northernmost lane along U.S. 54.
In the aftermath, a second accident occurred in the nearby Dollar General parking lot, when the driver of a pickup — it wasn’t immediately clear if he was distracted by the goings-on across the street — struck the side of a parked car. The driver was unhurt.
Several emergency departments assisted with the cleanup, Sheriff Bryan Murphy noted.
Off-duty workers from the Humboldt Police Department and Allen County Regional Hospital were among the first on the scene.
The Iola Fire Department, Kansas Department of Transportation and Kansas Gas Service also were summoned.
Murphy also lauded workers at Tina’s Cafe for bringing out hot coffee after the medical needs were addressed.
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