An apparent miscalculation led to Saturday’s injury crash southwest of Emporia on Saturday.
The Kansas Highway Patrol says the wreck on the Kansas Turnpike near mile marker 123 happened just after 9 am. The investigation indicates 78-year-old Gary Lindsly of Wichita was northbound in a construction zone and left the highway to the left after seeing a break in the cones, thinking the lane was shifting when it was not. Lindsly’s SUV then went into an area where the highway was cut out. The SUV hit the center barrier wall and continued through the cutout portion until it struck the end of the cutout.
Two passengers, 44-yearold Kamryn Gorges, and 19-year-old Isabella Gorges, both of Andover, were both brought to Newman Regional Health with either possible or suspected minor injuries. Lindsly was not hurt but also came to the hospital for support, according to Emporia Fire. All three people were wearing seatbelts.
Emporia Fire says two others in the vehicle declined hospital trips. They are not listed on the Highway Patrol crash log.
10:30 am Saturday: Turnpike crash near Emporia hurts two people
Emporia Fire took two people to Newman Regional Health after a crash on the Kansas Turnpike near Emporia on Saturday.
The crash happened at mile marker 122.6, so almost five miles southwest of Emporia. Details are under investigation by the Kansas Highway Patrol, but Emporia Fire Battalion Chief Ben Lienemann says one vehicle was involved carrying five people. Two went to Newman Regional for treatment, while a third rode in the ambulance to the hospital but did not need medical care. The other two people declined medical treatment.
The crash happened in a construction zone as the Kansas Turnpike Authority continues work to bring cashless tolling to the entire highway by 2024.
