A medical situation led to potentially serious injuries after a crash near the Lyon-Chase county line Thursday afternoon.
The wreck happened on the Kansas Turnpike near mile marker 117, 10 miles southwest of Emporia, at around 4:20 pm. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 67-year-old Joseph Benji of Wichita was driving a car southbound and “became incapacitated” while driving. His car went off the highway into a ditch and stopped on several large rocks.
Benji was airlifted to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. A passenger, 42-year-old Mary Benji of Wichita, was not hurt.
Separately, a crash on the Turnpike close to the Emporia tollgate resulted in suspected minor injuries for an Emporia woman.
The Highway Patrol says 37-year-old Vanessa Fry was driving a car southbound at around 60 mph as she was preparing to leave the highway, but she rear-ended the trailer of a semi driven by 54-year-old Rogelio Alvarez of Houston, Texas.
Fry was taken to Newman Regional Health. Alvarez was not hurt.
The wreck happened shortly after 6 pm.
6:15 pm Thursday: Medical emergency leads to injury accident southwest of Emporia
One person was taken by helicopter to Wichita following an injury accident on the Kansas Turnpike Thursday afternoon.
Emergency crews from Emporia and the Kansas Highway Patrol responded to KTA mile marker 116.4 southbound, 11 miles southwest of the Emporia tollgate, just before 4:30 pm for a single vehicle injury accident. Emporia Fire tells KVOE News the driver of the vehicle suffered a “medical emergency” and attempted to pull over and ended up in the ditch.
A Lifeteam helicopter was later called to the scene and transported the individual to an undisclosed hospital in Wichita. Further details are currently pending.
4:30 pm Thursday: Emergency crews called injury accident Southwest of Emporia Thursday.
Emporia/Lyon County EMS and Kansas Highway Patrol Troopers are responding to an injury accident southwest of town.
Crews were called to Kansas Turnpike mile marker 116.4 southbound, roughly 11 miles southwest of the Emporia tollgate, around 4:25 pm. Full details are pending, however, early indications are a vehicle ended up in a ditch for unknown reasons with at least one individual, a 70-year-old male, involved.
A Lifeteam helicopter has been dispatched to the scene. Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for more information as it becomes available.
