Iowa Street wreck kills two Tonganoxie men

Speed, wet road could be factors

Two 21-year-old Tonganoxie men died early Friday when their car collided with a semitrailer near 21st and Iowa streets.

Killed were Jacob Wyrick, driver of the 2001 Ford Mustang, and passenger Benjamin Pickert.

Police said the young men were headed south on Iowa Street when they collided shortly before 2 a.m. with a semitrailer driven by 58-year-old Paul Labourdette of Quebec, Canada. The wreck happened during heavy rains.

Police said Labourdette was heading north but had stopped in the street when he saw the Mustang spinning out of control, coming toward him.

“He was doing everything he could to avoid the accident,” Lawrence Police Department spokeswoman Kim Murphree said. “The car was spinning. It spun into and hit the tractor-trailer.”

Both Wyrick and Pickert were pronounced dead at the scene. Murphree said speed, weather and alcohol would be investigated as possible contributing factors, but it was too early to say for certain which of those played a role.

Friends said Wyrick and Pickert loved cars and had great personalities. Janelle McCoy, who graduated from Tonganoxie High School with them in 2003, said both men had planned on Thursday night to go to Cadillac Ranch, 2515 W. Sixth St.

“They were two fun guys out to have a good time,” she said.

News of their deaths spread quickly among the men’s friends. McCoy started getting calls about 6 a.m.

“It’s good to be in a small place because you can lean on each other – go to each other and talk about things,” she said.

Benjamin Pickert

Jacob Wyrick

Of Pickert, she said: “He’s funny but sincere. He jokes around very easily. He can be upset about something and then let it go.”

Wyrick had an endearing knack for being sarcastic, McCoy said.

Both Wyrick and Pickert loved their cars, said Karley Bennett, another friend and high school classmate.

Pickert had a Honda Accord he liked to tinker with in high school auto mechanics class, Bennett said. Wyrick, meanwhile, was proud of his Mustang, she said.

Wyrick grew up in Tonganoxie. Pickert moved there in 2002 from Leavenworth, where he had attended Immaculata High School.

“By the end of high school, everybody knew and liked Ben Pickert,” McCoy said.

Police spokeswoman Murphree asked anyone who may have seen the vehicle before the wreck driving south on Iowa between Ninth and 21st streets to contact police at 832-7501.

Murphree said she didn’t have information yet about whether the men were wearing seat belts. A complete report will be released Tuesday, she said.

Friends said a candlelight vigil commemorating the pair is planned for 8:30 p.m. today in VFW Park in Tonganoxie.