A Lecompton man was in serious condition Monday at Kansas University Hospital after he was injured in a Friday night accident, a hospital spokesman said.
Jason Kenney, 21, was riding as a passenger on a motorcycle that was involved in a collision with a car about 5:35 p.m. Friday at an entrance ramp to the Kansas Turnpike on Kansas Highway 10 west of Lawrence.
The driver of the motorcycle, Matthew Smith, 21, Lawrence, was transported Saturday from Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center in Topeka to KU Hospital in Kansas City, Kan., where he was listed in fair condition Monday.
A Kansas Highway Patrol report said neither man was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
The report said the motorcycle was headed south on K-10 when it was hit by a car heading north and trying to turn left into the Lecompton turnpike toll plaza.
The driver of the car, 21-year-old Karissa Pinegar, of Lawrence, did not require medical attention, the KHP said.
Friday night, emergency responders had asked for two helicopter ambulances, but the helicopters couldn’t respond. A LifeStar helicopter based in Lawrence was refueling out of town and a LifeFlight Eagle helicopter wasn’t available because of a shift change, said Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Division Chief Rob Kort.
Emergency crews transported Kenney to Lawrence Memorial Hospital, where he received 10 minutes of stabilization treatment before being loaded back into the same ground ambulance and rushed to KU Hospital in Kansas City, Kan., Kort said.
Kort said local emergency workers don’t depend on air ambulances, but will use them if it allows faster treatment for a patient with traumatic injuries.
“There are only a couple of air ambulances in the area, and if they’re busy … we go to plan B,” Kort said.
In Friday’s accident, Kort said there was no delay in treating the patient, who was taken from the scene 12 minutes after the accident was reported and was at KU Hospital about an hour afterward, even with the stop at LMH.
Truck accident
In a separate accident, a Topeka man also remained in serious condition Monday at KU Hospital.
Jacob McCullah, 25, was reportedly reaching for something in his truck when he crashed Sunday morning west of Baldwin City, Douglas County Sheriff’s officials said.
McCullah was taken by air ambulance to KU Hospital after the one-vehicle accident, authorities said.
Crews were called to the accident about 8:10 a.m. Sunday in the 1100 section of North 300 Road, which is also U.S. Highway 56, located about five miles west of Baldwin City.
The sheriff’s office said the accident occurred when McCullah’s Dodge pickup truck drifted off the road and landed in a ditch. No one else was involved in the accident.
Comments
gsxr600 7 years, 9 months ago
Still though... A shift change prevented a more prompt response. In many cases, that's a matter of life and death. That, is unacceptable.
Susan Mangan 7 years, 9 months ago
Exactly! TOTALLY unacceptable that these people hold jobs and have set hours, like NORMAL people. Jeez...the nerve to expect them to not rearrange their lives for every accident! They are probably the same ba$tard$ who think it's ok to refuse to fly in freezing rain! The nerve of a private business to set rules and hours for their employees!
John Hamm 7 years, 9 months ago
Pardon me. But do either of you care about the injured motorcyclists? Or the fact that the car failed to yield the right of way?
gsxr600 7 years, 9 months ago
Is it too much to ask that a crew have a couple minutes of layover between shifts to be available in a situation like this? I guess that would be asking for too much. I'm totally wrong. I apologize for questioning the ability of a service that focuses on being able to rapidly respond at all times. I'm an idiot.
gsxr600 7 years, 9 months ago
Yes, I do actually care. I know some involved thank you very much.
PLKaws23 7 years, 9 months ago
gsxr, I couldnt agree more. That is their job and it is rediculois that they cant put together a crew when someones life is on the line. I know both victims and know alot of the volunteer fire fighters that showed up to the scene and found one of their friends lying helpless on the ground. Yet there are 'professionals' that do this for a living and refused to run the call, jeopardizing someones life.
Celeste Plitz 7 years, 9 months ago
I had a friend who was killed in a motorcycle crash that was nearly identical to this scenario. He was wearing a helmet and he still died. This man is lucky to be alive, I hope he pulls through.
daschie88 7 years, 9 months ago
I actually know everyone involved ironically and I work in the heathcare field. It is unfortunate that the boys were not wearing helmets, but that does not excuse the fact that the helicopters were unavailable to do their job. If it was in fact a shift change then there should have been double the amount of people available to fly a helicopter. And if I remember correctly, there wasn't any rain or snow or sleet that day. As for the driver who "failed to yield"....its called an accident for a reason. She would never hit someone on purpose. So it was exactly that. An accident on everyone's part. It was 5:30, sunset, rush hour traffic on a Friday and the chance that she just simply didn't see them is mighty high. You can't tell me that you've never almost been in an accident even when you were paying attention just because of the gazillion things going on around you. Its a sad thing for all involved and I can only pray that everything turns out okay for everyone.
Stuart Evans 7 years, 9 months ago
helmets for everyone always! regardless of whether you're on a bike, motorcycle, car, walking, sleeping, eating... whatever.
Hop2It 7 years, 9 months ago
Okay....so we will have double the amount of paid employees available to cover shift changes. No matter what we will have air transport available (whether you are wearing a helmet or not.) However, I do not want to hear anyone complain about the cost, to insurers, the uninsured, the taxpayers....whoever is going to bear the cost.
BikerGrandma 7 years, 9 months ago
Wearing a helmet would not have stopped all of the injuries that these young men suffered. A helmet will not protect your legs from being broken nor facial lacerations unless it is a full face helmet. With a helmet, particularly a full face, you lose some of your peripheral vision - a very important thing to have when on a motorcycle and cage drivers (those in 4-wheeled enclosed vehicles) are too busy texting, putting on make up, etc to look twice and save a life. My son is a good friend of one of these young men. To see some of the comments written, while not surprising given what is usually posted, breaks my heart and just shows the ignorance of some people that have nothing better to do than look for something to post idiotic comments about.
KEITHMILES05 7 years, 9 months ago
The guy taken to Topeka didn't suffer any head or facial injuries but other traumatic injuries elsewhere.
kidscount 7 years, 9 months ago
edjayhawk,
You run your mouth on here like you really know something. yes, they young men on the motorcycle should have been wearing helmets but what about the one young mans legs, please tell me what a motorcyclist can do to protect them. The driver of the car should have been paying attention and this wouldnt have happened. PERIOD! At least one of these men will spend the rest of their lives disabled due to somebody driving the car that ran them over because she wasnt watching where the hell she was going.
LA_Ex 7 years, 9 months ago
Bikergrandma-I wear a full face helmet when I ride and it doesn't affect my peripheral vision at all. I can also hear better because it dampens the wind noise. So I can't find any merit in your comment. As far as injuries, leg and arm injuries are rarely fatal, head injuries almost always are. I've never understood why people in the 21st century ride bikes without helmets. Seems like common sense. Protect your head, it is where you keep your brain.
As for the helicopter, I wonder if there is a FAA regulation that the helicopter HAS to abide by that prohibits a pilot being on shift for more than a certain number of hours. I wonder if the call came in before shift change and his relief hadn't shown up yet. It's hard to pass judgment when you don't know the whole story.
I hope the two guys on the motorcycle mend quickly. Next time, wear a helmet. As for the driver of the car, there is NO excuse to hit another vehicle. If you hit another vehicle, you either weren't paying attention or you were driving beyond you capabilities to control your vehicle. There is a reason why these are called crashes and not accidents anymore. The sun was in my eyes, the rain was too heavy, the ice was too slick...None of those work, because the driver should have slowed down or taken other actions to make his/her vehicle safe to be on the road.
Nick Combs 7 years, 9 months ago
Not trying to wade into a discussion here, merely inform as a two-wheel rider.
First off, not all full-face helmets restrict peripheral vision, some helmets are worse than others. 3/4 and 1/2 helmets are common choices as well, which some claim to be less restrictive. It really comes down to a riders personal comfort level and decision.
There's also lots of protection available to a rider outside of just a helmet. Legs can be protected by abrasion-resistant pants, which often look just like blue-jeans and are available with both padding and impact armor. Likewise, reinforced and armored jackets are available, as are gloves and boots.
None of this will keep a rider 100% injury free, it's still going to hurt if you have an incident, but wearing the right protective gear can go a long way towards minimizing injuries.
Ride like you're invisible!
misskanorado 7 years, 9 months ago
I am completely with daschie88. I too know all three parties in this accident and I too and in the health care field. This is a very unfortunate situation for all 3 people. The two guys on the motorcycle should have been wearing helmets but they weren't-we all have made mistakes and now these guys are paying for it. Instead of keeping them in your thoughts are prayers like you should-you all come on here and crucify them! Enough already! As for the driver, things happen-and I completely believe that she was paying attention and being attentive. There are so many factors that most likely played into this situation. The sun was setting-so the sun could have been in her eyes and I know as well as everyone-that the sun has caused issues being able to see while driving with all of us! Also, if it was dark enough at this point and the guys were wearing dark clothing-its hard to see as well! We all have seen people walking around in the dark-wearing dark clothing-which makes it nearly impossible to see. The driver of the vehicle is a girl that is unbelievable nice to everyone-and would never wish this situation upon anyone-and because of something out of her control-her life has changed in an instant. All in all, everyone on here need to quit crucifying the three parties in this accident-and start keeping them in their thoughts. As for the helicopters-it would make a little more sense to have a shift change before or after rush hour traffic-it may be something to consider. Lets just all pray this turns out ok for everyone involved!
uwish1020 7 years, 9 months ago
There have been some pretty hurtful things stated about Karissa on this page and I am aggravated at the fact that people have the balls enough to call her out when they have no idea what the situation was. In fact you all are a bunch of mindless drones that sees the situation only one sided and can not look beyond to see the flaws in all sides of the matter.
I have known Karissa since 7th grade, and for those of you that have not had the pleasure of knowing her, you are missing out. She is a kind hearted, sweet lady and none of you have any right to judge what may or may not have happen that night. I am sure it is hard enough to have to live with the thought of such a horrible accident, that the added stress of rude and inconsiderate people like you is not needed. She is an amazing girl with a bright and promising future and would never say one word about any of you people to the extent of what you have been accusing her of. It was an accident people, an ACCIDENT. There is no reason to speculate on the circumstances; obviously none of us are officials that have that kind of special certification, so leave that job up to those that do. Leave her alone, and quit picking a wound that does not need to be picked. Let her cope with the situation without having to defend her actions to people that don't matter anyway.
Yes, it is sad that this happened to these boys; but lets remember that you assume the risk that you take when you climb on a motorcycle without proper safety precautions.
Just remember this is an accident and everyone in this situation is suffering. Quit charging those involved before the police even have time to actually see what happened. Nobody would wish this scenario on even their worst enemy, and you people need to remember that it is not about you and what low blows you can call people out for. I can promise that if you were in any of these peoples' situations you would want the same respect and prayer that they need at this point. Quit bitching, and pray for all parties; its far more constructive than any of the comments I have read.
salad 7 years, 9 months ago
daschie88 (Anonymous) says… "I actually know everyone involved ironically and I work in the heathcare field."
Just like to point out that this is NOT irony. You mean to say "coincidentally, I work in the healthcare field". Wear a helmet. I wear a full face helmet. It doesn't impair my vision and makes it much more pleasant to ride. My cousin in-law was killed in Topeka in a motorcycle wreck. Some old guy left turned in front of him and his head smacked the windshield. Had he been wearing a helmet he'd have walked away. He spent 7 years confined to a bed, as a severly brain damaged ward of the state before he finally died. So yes, there is a fate worse than death....that'd be it.
puddleglum 7 years, 9 months ago
i agree with gsxr
LA_Ex 7 years, 9 months ago
Your not supposed to hit anything with your car.....ever. It really doesn't get much simpler than that. If you don't beleive me ask any law enforcement officer if he can think of an acceptable reason. Check your DMV drivers manual, I don't think there is an acceptable reason in there either. With that said, your also not supposed to hit anything with your motorcycle, truck, or minivan. That accident was caused by somebody not paying attention. I'm not saying who was or wasn't.....but someone wasn't.
PLKaws23 7 years, 9 months ago
R.I.P. Jason 'Stinky' Kenney. You will be missed
bethjoe 7 years, 9 months ago
We will miss you Jason Kenney!!! Rest In Peace. Our prayers go out to your family Love you Kenney family.
rcarver 7 years, 9 months ago
RIP Jason "Stinky" Kenny, We all love you and you will be missed greatly, may your trip to heaven be a wonderful one!!!! And to the rest of family and friends my thoughts and prayer are with you!!! May God Bless!
Commenting has been disabled for this item.