A Hill City woman was killed Sunday afternoon when three cars collided on the Kansas Highway 10 bypass just north of U.S. Highway 40 west of Lawrence.

The Kansas Highway Patrol identified the fatality victim as Julie A. Schindler, 47. She was a passenger in a 1999 Chrysler driven by Louis G. Schindler, 60, Hill City.

Louis Schindler and three other people were injured. Louis Schindler was taken by helicopter ambulance to KU Med in Kansas City, Kan.

Also taken by helicopter to KU Med was Stacey K. Hull, 19, Wamego. She was a passenger in a 1993 Mercury driven by Trevor Niedfeldt, 19, Belvue. Niedfeldt was taken by helicopter to St. Luke’s Hospital, Kansas City, Mo.

The third person injured was identified as Grady S. Harris, 31, Topeka, driver of a 1993 Pontiac. He was taken by Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released.

According to the Highway Patrol, Louis Schindler was driving the Chrysler northbound on K-10 in the southbound lane. Niedfeldt was southbound in the Mercury. The cars collided head-on. Harris was traveling in the Pontiac southbound behind Niedfeldt and also became involved, the Highway Patrol said.

Emergency workers transport an injured person from the scene of a fatality accident in 2003 on the Kansas Highway 10 bypass west of Lawrence.

A fourth car also was involved but wasn’t damaged and wasn’t listed on the Highway Patrol accident report. Its driver, Staci Wokutch, Spring Hill, said she was southbound when the collision occurred. She said she saw a lot of smoke and debris.

“It was really very scary,” Wokutch said.

Wokutch and her two young children, who were with her, weren’t hurt.

Assisting the Highway Patrol at the accident scene were Douglas County Sheriff’s officers and fire and medical personnel. LifeFlight Eagle and Life Star helicopters transported the injured to the Kansas City hospitals.

Niedfeldt was in stable condition Sunday night, a St. Luke’s hospital spokesman said.

Condition reports for Louis Schindler and Hull were unavailable.