Car in ditch after being run off road
One person was killed and another person was injured in an accident on Kansas Highway 10 in far western Johnson County about 10:30 Monday night, the Kansas Highway Patrol said.
Dora Henning, a 76-year-old De Soto woman, was driving her Buick LeSabre eastbound in the westbound lanes of K-10 when she collided with 41-year-old Refujio Gomez-Ruiz, of Kansas City. Henning had been driving the wrong way for several miles when she came over a hill and struck Gomez-Ruiz's Ford Windstar head-on.
Henning died at the scene, while Gomez-Ruiz was transported to a Kansas City-area hospital with serious injuries from the accident. His condition was not available Tuesday morning.
The accident happened just minutes after another accident in eastern Douglas County, near Eudora, where Henning forced another car off the road while traveling the wrong way, according to the highway patrol.
The other driver in that accident, 20-year-old Michael Yodler of Overland Park, was driving a 2002 Honda Civic. He suffered only minor injuries, and wasn’t transported from the scene. The first accident occurred about two miles west of the Johnson County line.
Portions of westbound K-10 were shut down from De Soto to Eudora for several hours as crews investigated the two accident scenes.
Comments
laughingatallofu 2 years, 7 months ago
Hmmm. @Operation100 on Twitter is reporting something different.
alm77 2 years, 7 months ago
I was traveling west on K-10 and was passed by this one way driver. I thought I saw a car going the wrong way, and then I topped a small hill and realized that was exactly what was going on. I slowed down to about 45, as did the cars in front of me, and honked as he drove by.
alm77 2 years, 7 months ago
I meant wrong way driver, not one way. Sorry.
Pywacket 2 years, 7 months ago
Glad you avoided contact with that vehicle and lived to tell the tale! What a nightmare.
KCsFinest5 2 years, 7 months ago
@alm77
Thank God you're ok. I hope that no one else was killed.
xyz 2 years, 7 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
alm77 2 years, 7 months ago
For me, it wasn't horrendous at the time, just strange. I had just passed a gravel turn around point, so I thought maybe he'd figured it out and was going to turn around (this was before I saw the cars pulled over at the first accident). Now, it just still hasn't sunk in.
nativeokiegirl27 2 years, 7 months ago
What is up with all these accidents on K-10..seems like there is a accident every day or every other day...
HowMuchRice 2 years, 7 months ago
I was 15 1/2 years old driving for about the 2nd time with my learner's permit, when a wrong-way driver screamed by in the lane next to mine on Raytown Road. I was too confused at first to realize what was going on. Then when it set in what happened, I was terrified.
My prayers are with the affected families. This is terrible.
dumbkansans 2 years, 7 months ago
my prayers go out to the families affected.
jhawks1234 2 years, 7 months ago
I often am coming home around 3-4 AM from work and that is my biggest fear on that highway so now I stick to I-70 at least there is a divider there...well until you hit the construction....Regardless, my thoughts and prayers are with everyone and their families affected by this.
pizzapete 2 years, 7 months ago
I saw a very old couple driving the wrong way on 70 in KC several years ago. This is not unique to K10.
kansasmutt 2 years, 7 months ago
The signage on the roads when you come up to K-10 are a bit confusing for some. The signs are before the bridge as you get ready to go over K-10 and for some this makes them think turn here, but it is the off ramp The signs need to all be on the ends of the bridge right where you turn to the entrance ramp. HUGE DO NOT ENTER signs need to be at the ends of the off ramps at ground level for those who don`t know or travel the road much. I have seen tons of people try to turn down the off ramps and finaly they see the small Wrong Way signs that are real small and 8 foot up on poles and hard to see. KDOT , you need to put LARGE DO NOT ENTER SIGNS at the top of the off ramps for cross traffic to see prior to entering the wrong way. This mainly for southbound traffic approaching K-10 from the north.
kendall1 2 years, 7 months ago
Closing K-10 really is not a choice. there are so many people that drive down K-10 that taking 70 would just be out of the way to drive. and really there is a lot of accidents on any highway or road we just here about the ones that are bad.
whats_going_on 2 years, 7 months ago
I hope they were being sarcastic.
Closing K10 isn't going to keep people in KC or in Lawrence...they'd just find another route.
dadof3 2 years, 7 months ago
My prayers go out to the families involved, Refujio is a good friend of mine and used to work for me. He has 4 small children and a wife that depend on him. This is very unfortunate. He was on his way to work to do a job he loved and did well. I pray for a quick recovery. LJ-world is there a chance I can get an update on his condition? I can not contact the family at this time.
Jonathan Kealing 2 years, 7 months ago
We don't have a condition yet, but we'll update with one when we do. Thoughts and prayers with you and his other friends and family.
senegal66025 2 years, 7 months ago
This same thing happened in my family. My mother in law was driving wrong way on K-10. When she got turned around and told us what happened I took her keys. This was the first time we felt that she had dementia. Several months she was diagnosed with dementia.. Pay attention to your older love ones and if you see the indications dont be afraid to take their keys. In my case no one was hurt. But we were lucky.
Pywacket 2 years, 7 months ago
Amen to that! I've told my kids---if/when I reach the point when they feel I'm unsafe on the road, they need to take my keys! You'd like to think you would recognize gradual loss of acuity yourself, but you don't--that's the nature of the beast.
I once had to dodge an elderly wrong-way driver on Kasold. She turned left off of 6th St, winding up on the northbound side of Kasold's dividing grassy strip. Fortunately, she was going about 5 mph and Kasold is 2 lanes. Startling, regardless.
Condolences to the woman's family and best wishes for a full and speedy recovery to the injured gentleman.
Kontum1972 2 years, 7 months ago
i stay off... "Killer 10"
mom_of_three 2 years, 7 months ago
Wrong way drivers happen on roads besides K-10. Many years ago, we saw a wrong way driver on a highway near our home town. this was before cell phones were readily available to all, so we were not able to call the police until we got to our location a few minutes later. It turned out to be a friend of the family who suffered a seizure. Someone was able to stop her vehicle before anyone got hurt.
I can only imagine how terrifying it must have been. I hope Mr. Gomez-Ruiz recovers fully and quickly.
nekansan 2 years, 7 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
whats_going_on 2 years, 7 months ago
I'll never forget this:
A couple years ago I went to the DMV to get a new DL and an little tiny old lady in front of me went up to sign the papers and she couldn't even SEE where to sign. She made the clerk point to it so she could sign...to get her drivers license. Then, she made them retake her picture about 5 times...took forever.
Why the HELL were they giving her a drivers license. She can't see where to sign. Red flag much?????
dulcinea47 2 years, 7 months ago
Maybe her distance vision was okay, just not her reading vision. They make people take the regular vision test, don't they?
whats_going_on 2 years, 7 months ago
I think, to drive a vehicle, you should probably have all of your vision.
MacHeath 2 years, 7 months ago
Because this accident didn't have anything to do with speed? Condolences to both families.
kernal 2 years, 7 months ago
You just did it for them.
justanotherface 2 years, 7 months ago
Ditto! Not on this article, but I've had the same problem with some of my posts for different articles. Comment nazis...
somedude20 2 years, 7 months ago
Working in a medical field, I have seen time and time again older Americans get in their cars and drive when they should not be and that scares me more than any horror movie I have seen. Humans regress in almost all areas of function as we age yet giving up the privilege of driving in order to make the streets safer for all of us is a tough sell to them. We do not allow 10yr olds to drive as their cognitive skills are far from being fully functional much like older people who have diminishing skills as they age. I hope that Mr. Gomez-Ruiz has a speedy recovery!
BostonJayhawk88 2 years, 7 months ago
I have traveled K-10 for over 5 years communting and since it was opened in the 80's as needed. In that time I have never been in a situation where I mistakenly started or continued down the wrong side of the highway. I have, however, mistaken which on ramp was the one I needed when leaving DeSoto once, but I just needed to turn around further down the road... totally my fault for not paying closer attention as the signage was plain to see upon further review.
Now, of course, I'm not in my 70's and I can see how it could happen.... but, confusing directions is one thing... once however many cars are coming right for you over a period of time is another. Maybe she thought she was on the older two lane road. Had to be scary seeing all those oncoming cars in your lane.
Denny2009 2 years, 7 months ago
something seriously needs to be done about k-10.
MaryKatesPillStash 2 years, 7 months ago
Tom--if you really need an answer that badly, can you please just email them and ask them privately?
kujeeper 2 years, 7 months ago
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
aoneill 2 years, 7 months ago
My roommate was driving down K10 in a friend's vehicle last night, encountered this woman and about rolled their vehicle up as they made an emergency maneuver into the ditch. There were other cars in the ditch too and most people were shaken pretty badly. My roommate and his friends drive to the next exit, headed east and saw the aftermath of her collision...
My prayers are with the friends and families....
dulcinea47 2 years, 7 months ago
The fact that it sounds like many other drivers were scrambling to get out of this woman's way... how confused would she have to have been in order to not notice or stop or make an effort to pull over or turn around? I can (sort of) see how someone would get on going the wrong way, but not how they could continue like that beyond a fraction of a mile.
Starlight 2 years, 7 months ago
Tragic.
Working up in Lincoln NE last week I pulled out onto Cornhusker Hiway not realizing there was a concrete curb median in the center of the street keeping me from going left. I immediately whipped around and red & blue lights popped on on the next vehicle coming down the road. I pulled right back in the drive I'd pulled out of and the first words from the officer were "I guess you know why I stopped you..." She gave me a warning for negligent driving. There was no 'no left turn' sign at the parking lot exit and the curb median wasn't visible in the dark till right on it. I wasn't the only one having trouble with that median as I'd seen someone else driving the wrong way on my way to the restaurant earlier.
nekansan 2 years, 7 months ago
Ditto my comment being removed? Nothing inappropriate or malicious. Just a statement of belief that there needs to be more aggressive testing for elderly drivers to ensure that they are safe on the road? Can someone please explain why/how that is a violation of the usage policy? We are very aggressive with DUI enforcement, and have recently passed more strict licensing restrictions for new teenage drivers because statistically they cause more accidents. The data is also very clear that on a per mile driven basis, elderly are among the most deadly and accident prone drivers on the road.
BostonJayhawk88 2 years, 7 months ago
If anyone thinks that K10 is as bad as it can get... and by some of the comments it sure would appear so. "Close K10" "The sky, it doth fall!" .... etc... please examine this intersection about 3 blocks from where I used to live in Boston....
I can't seem to count all the ways to traverse this confluence of highways.... but there are at least twenty....
BostonJayhawk88 2 years, 7 months ago
The link above goes to the wrong intersection... though that one is bad, this is what I intended to post...
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&s...'s+Liquors,+Medford,+MA&sll=42.410164,-71.138256&sspn=0.000624,0.001526&ie=UTF8&hq=Kappy's+Liquors,&hnear=Medford,+Middlesex,+Massachusetts&ll=42.405183,-71.081704&spn=0.002464,0.006105&t=k&z=17
ModSquadGal 2 years, 7 months ago
WHY DO THEY LET THE OLD PEOPLE DRIVE? It's ridiculous. It's as bad as driving drunk in some instances. If you cannot handle being in control of your vehicle, then you should not be allowed to drive. And I think people over a certain age (no, I don't know WHAT age) should have MANDATORY testing EVERY SINGLE YEAR. This is just tragic.
bigmike 2 years, 7 months ago
I totally agree with mandatory yearly driving tests for the elderly! 65 seems like a good place to start...
whats_going_on 2 years, 7 months ago
http://www.smartmotorist.com/traffic-and-safety-guideline/older-drivers-elderly-driving-seniors-at-the-wheel.html
Interesting article............
formerlyanonymous 2 years, 7 months ago
So sad!
There's some little old lady in a green minivan who lives near 18th street and turns left onto Wakarusa to go to her chiropractor just down the street who also has serious issues with finding her correct lane. If anyone knows who she is.....she shouldn't be driving.
bigmike 2 years, 7 months ago
Here is an idea: If someone is driving bad (texting, talking, or just being old) you call in their tag # to 911, when a person receives 5 complaints they lose their driving PRIVILAGES for 3 months and then have to re-take your driving test.
Jane 2 years, 7 months ago
BS
bergerfry 2 years, 7 months ago
Stiffer tests to get license for driving these missles would help a little bit. Anybody with a pulse can get one. My wife works with the guy that's in a coma right now. 4 kids and a wife. I hope he makes it.
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