KCK teens injured in turnpike crash

Four teenagers from Kansas City, Kan., were injured late Wednesday night when their vehicle flipped during an attempt to turn off the Kansas Turnpike at Bonner Springs, ejecting the driver.

Nolan McCloud, 16, had been driving west on the turnpike “at a high rate of speed,” when he took the exit ramp onto Kansas Highway 7 too fast, according to a report posted by the Kansas Turnpike Authority. It was unknown whether McCloud had been wearing a seat belt.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that the 2009 Chevrolet coupe had gone “end over end” into the ditch and then back out, before flipping and spinning around, ejecting the driver and partially ejecting one of three passengers. The accident occurred about 10:45 p.m.

McCloud was taken by ambulance to Overland Park Regional Medical Center, where he had been treated and released by Thursday afternoon.

One of the passengers, 15-year-old Monica Williams, had not been wearing a seat belt. Authorities said she was taken by air ambulance to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.

Authorities were informed Thursday afternoon that Williams remained hospitalized, although officials at Children’s Mercy said they did not have information about her.

The two other passengers — Jordan Vogel, 17; and Grant Bruner, 16 — had been wearing seat belts, authorities said. They were taken to area hospitals, treated and released.