Staff Reports
Two Johnson County women were injured in a cross-median crash Thursday morning on Kansas Highway 10 near the Kansas Highway 7 intersection, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
The accident report said Connie J. Moll, 43, of Olathe, was attempting to merge her 2001 Ford truck onto eastbound K-10 from K-7 at 7:55 a.m. when she lost control. Her truck crossed the median and struck a 2007 Kia vehicle head-on in the westbound lanes just west of Woodland Road.
The Kia’s driver, Jill L. Nicholson, 31, of Overland Park, also was injured. Both women, who were wearing seat belts, were taken to Overland Park Regional Medical Center, according to the accident report.
A second crash occurred as traffic approached the accident. A 54-year-old Shawnee man, Timothy D. Shea, was traveling westbound at 8:10 a.m. and attempting an illegal U-turn in a 2004 Buick car, but he was struck by a KHP vehicle traveling on the left shoulder running emergency lights and sirens, according to the crash report.
Shea was taken to Shawnee Mission Medical Center, and Trooper Matthew Brooks, 32, also of Shawnee, was taken to Kansas University Hospital in Kansas City, Kan.
The Kansas Department of Transportation is studying the safety of K-10 and the possible use of a cable-median barrier between Lawrence and Interstate 435.
The study was prompted after an April 16 cross-median crash near the Church Street interchange killed two Eudora residents, including 5-year-old Cainan Shutt. A group that is advocating the barriers, including government representatives and residents from cities along the corridor, is next scheduled to meet July 14 in Eudora.
Comments
TheSychophant 1 year, 10 months ago
This accident appears to have very little to do with the engineering of the road, and everything to do with driver negligence. Sounds like she was attempting to merge at an unsafe speed. Hope everyone involved mends well, and has a speedy recovery.
BOULEVARDWHEAT 1 year, 10 months ago
really?
The_Big_B 1 year, 10 months ago
Yet ... the cable barrier might well have protected the OTHER driver from the results of that negligence. That's what I thought the cable barriers were all about ... helping to prevent that situation where the OTHER driver is rendered helpless by the crossing-over of a vehicle from the other lanes.
The need may not be based on engineering, but on behavioral factors ... and the behavior on K-10, more than any other road I travel, seems to run toward reckless stupidity. It's not a cold-blooded engineering assessment that is required, but a behavioral one.
Put in the barriers.
Coach_Eric 1 year, 10 months ago
Well stated, Big B.
Dejacrew423 1 year, 10 months ago
Agreed!
srj 1 year, 10 months ago
It is getting harder and harder to get onto K-10 from K-7 during busy times. It's worst going westbound on 10, because you have to dodge cars turning right to Olathe.
CHEEZIT 1 year, 10 months ago
Yea and those people don't slow down!! If your in the right lane and can't get over because of traffic they don't care they just keep barreling into the lane!!! Especially the West bound traffic that comes out of that business park right after 435 and they usually get off at the next exit. They just see how fast they can do it!
common_man 1 year, 10 months ago
This morning's commute was also challenged by periods of heavy rainfall and pooling on roads in some areas. Dealing with low vis and high speeds during an already challenging merge can turn small errors into tragedy very quickly. I don't see any weather/road conditions at the time of the accident mentioned.
blindrabbit 1 year, 10 months ago
Maybe instead of the standard highway barrier cables being proposed for K-10, KDOT ought to look into aircraft arresting cables such as used on U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. Each auto would need to be equipped with a tail hook though.
TopJayhawk 1 year, 10 months ago
now that's funny, I don't care who you are.
Jake Esau 1 year, 10 months ago
The K-7/K-10 interchange is particularly bad when going from NB K-7 to WB K-10 or SB K-7 to EB K-10. There is not much room there to merge because of the cloverleaf design. If the accident happened just west of Woodland road though, I would think she would have been coming from NB K-7 to EB K-10. There's at least a little more room there...
klthompson1 1 year, 10 months ago
The point is, Sychophant, that even due to driver negligence, these cable barriers could save lives. Her crossing over into opposite lanes of traffic may have been because of her attempt to merge at an unsafe speed (we really don't know as speed wasn't indicated to be a factor), but had cable barriers been there in the median, it could have prevented her vehicle from crossing over and hitting the other vehicle head on. The fact is, K-10 is a heavily traveled road and the installation of these barries could help prevent further serious injury and/or death by keeping vehicles from crossing into opposing lanes of traffic. I don't know if they are the answer, but I'm looking forward to the results of the study to see if these could be effective. Reports that I've read in areas where these cables are installed show that they are in fact effective in keeping vehicles from crossing into opposing lanes---which it seems reasonable would reduce the number of fatalities from head-on collisions.
Cant_have_it_both_ways 1 year, 10 months ago
Get "Your" checkbook out and pay for the cables. The state is broke and there is no other answer than the crossover was driver error.
You see, there is NO money for your pet projects and other things like an 18 million dollar library, the bus system that no one uses, bicycle lanes being built by the taxpayer for mostly those who pay zero taxes.
Here is an idea, spend your own money for a change.
KRichards 1 year, 10 months ago
People who ride bikes pay no taxes? Damn I am getting shafted on my tax returns, I should have really looked for that checkbox.
klthompson1 1 year, 10 months ago
I thought the same thing! I'm not a bike rider, but I took offense to that all the same. Just because someone is riding a bike doesn't mean they are the homeless and jobless of society not paying taxes. I know plenty of bike riders who are simply trying to help the environment, and/or exercise and be healthy!
imastinker 1 year, 10 months ago
He's referring to road taxes. Bicycles aren't taxes to pay for roads like cars are becuase they don't buy gasoline. Thus, the money to pay for bike lanes comes from somewhere else, like at the expense of safety devices or better roads.
klthompson1 1 year, 10 months ago
Believe me, I understand that the state is broke---and I pay plenty of taxes. I don't have all the answers. The fact that her car left her lanes of traffic was driver error, for sure---but the fact that the other driver was in a head-on collision was not due to her own error. My point was that some sort of barrier in between opposing lanes of traffic could have prevented this woman's vehicle from striking the other.
TheSychophant 1 year, 10 months ago
Good point. A accident usually involves two parties--the negligent driver and the occupant(s) of the other vehicle(s) who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Would be nice to have added safety features on our highways. Unfortunately, today's politicians are more concerned with serving their special-interest, moneyed contributors instead of promoting the general well being of all of their constituents.
grimpeur 1 year, 10 months ago
Bzzzt! Wrong. Thanks for playing, tho. In the future, if you take just a moment to put even a speck of thought into your posts, instead of spewing ignorance about who pays taxes, you might get some respect.
I have four personal vehicles in my garage, three commercial at the shop, and I ride a bicycle to work every day. 99% of the people I ride with own at least one car. You know what I do with my commercial vehicles? I build roads. So zip it.
Sorry for ya being so sorry.
buckjennings 1 year, 10 months ago
"Could" being the operative word. Cars pass through cable barriers, much like that collision caused by a texting idiot east of St. Louis that injured a man from Lawrence. We need to stop applying band aids to these problems and focus on the real causes. If we were serious we'd make cell phone usage by a motorist illegal-- period. We'd require better driver training. We'd discourage people from buying trucks who don't really need them. We'd ramp up law enforcement.
Ignignokt 1 year, 10 months ago
Ban cars... problem solved
seekthetruth 1 year, 10 months ago
Cables for Cainan and all of us that drive K-10!
wissmo 1 year, 10 months ago
Normally I do not comment on accident reports, although I read comments with interest.
I was driving about 78 mph (cruise control) when we approached the accident area this morning. No police or emergency vehicles had arrived yet. Maybe drive K-10 twice a month, but had just a few seconds before mentioned to my passenger how well the highway was drained after the rain.
I will join the dozens and dozens of others and state, I can see no structural physical reason for the accident.
GardenMomma 1 year, 10 months ago
You do realize that you were cruising above the posted speed limit, don't you?
wissmo 1 year, 10 months ago
Sometimes I think it's safer to move by traffic on K-10 than become a Lemming.
On I-10 I-80 for instance I stay in the right lane and drive slower. I let the fliers go by.
Over .75 million miles driven in the U.S. by passenger vehicle, you do learn to drive by feel.
The_Big_B 1 year, 10 months ago
The collision was not caused by a "structural physical reason", but the harm to the innocent driver in the other lanes could have been prevented by cable barriers. That is the whole point.
Driving down a divided highway like K-10, you are utterly helpless if a vehicle crosses over the median into your lanes. Barriers don't prevent a person from driving like an idiot and crashing, but help prevent the crash from crossing over and hurtling into oncoming traffic in the other lanes.
It's not about preventing the accident, but mitigating the harm that would result.
In other words, it greatly reduces your chances of getting whacked by some idiot crossing over the median and giving you no chance to avoid impact.
merrill 1 year, 10 months ago
Median cables have limitations of which one may depend on how big a vehicle and at what speed. Nothing absolute.
This is why I suggest allowing a volunteer mini forest to take seed and get growing.
Saves $$$$ on mowing and might be a bit more effective.
KRichards 1 year, 10 months ago
That is so dumb it is beyond comprehension. We would only have to wait 50 years until the trees would be big enough to stop a 2500 pound car traveling at 80 mph.
Ewok79 1 year, 10 months ago
Not to mention the asphalt destroying root system. That's just a dumb plan Merrill. lol
klthompson1 1 year, 10 months ago
Why are all of you talking about structural/physical causes for the accident? Who ever insinuated that the engineering of the road was the reason?
wissmo 1 year, 10 months ago
This means there is no reason to invest in multi millions to make it safer. It is safe now.
rfields 1 year, 10 months ago
The road is safe, the people who drive it are not. I think that this is the point that most are trying to make.
klthompson1 1 year, 10 months ago
A study of "the safety of K-10" does not say to me that the structural integrity or engineering of the road is in question, especially when this was brought about by the request for cables to be installed to reduce death/injury as the result of crossover accidents.
Curtis Lange 1 year, 10 months ago
Something is fishy in the story. The K-10/K-7 interchange is nowhere near the Woodland Rd exit. Also, I'm still lol'ing at the idiot making the illegal U-turn and getting nailed by the cop.
wissmo 1 year, 10 months ago
It was very near Woodland.
Ewok79 1 year, 10 months ago
I belive it's about 1 3/4 miles to woodland road from the K-7 interchange. I seen the lady's car this morring with the front all smashed in. The story did seem a lil incorrect to me as well. As for the U-turn guy, that moron probaly should've wait like the rest of us!
kantubek 1 year, 10 months ago
This. The final sentence in particular.
Ewok79 1 year, 10 months ago
Thank you Bcman, I thought I was the only one that thought that about Jonhson county drivers. I think they feel entitled or somthing, like they actualy own the road.
TopJayhawk 1 year, 10 months ago
That's why we call 'em JO CO MO FO'S
The_Big_B 1 year, 10 months ago
"entitled" .... well-phrased. :-)
buckjennings 1 year, 10 months ago
The curves are too tight? Only for an incompetent American motorist who thinks that everything should be ramrod straight. Learn to drive, sell the truck and get a decent handling and fuel efficient CAR.
hear_me 1 year, 10 months ago
How fast were these drivers driving?
Ewok79 1 year, 10 months ago
well faster than the posted speed limit, of course.......It's K-10 nobody does the speed limit
buckjennings 1 year, 10 months ago
This is a clear case of driver incompetence. You can't cure stupid and cable barriers aren't going to save us.
CloveK 1 year, 10 months ago
Yeah but it can save the innocent person in the other lane
Xwards 1 year, 10 months ago
I was about 100 feet behind the accident when it happened. The red truck went into the ditch on the right side then shot across the east-bound lanes, through the median into the west-bound lane. At the speed she was going, I'm not sure that cable barriers would have stopped her. I didn't see the impact due to traffic but I did see a car head off into the right ditch on the west-bound lane. Traffic was fairly heavy at that time. It was just west of milepost 26.
The road was wet from the rain. I think without any weight over the truck's rear wheels, the wet pavement, and trying to accelerate, the old Ford just got away from her.
FWIW, I had the cruise control set on 70, but had to turn it off before I got to the accident because traffic got too heavy and I did have my seat belt on. Drive carefully and defensively!
OonlyBonly 1 year, 10 months ago
What did the road do wrong? Absolutely nothing! The drivers, on the other hand, - except for the trooper - seemed to exhibit pretty "normal" stupidity!
OonlyBonly 1 year, 10 months ago
What did the road do wrong? Absolutely nothing! The drivers, on the other hand, - except for the trooper - seemed to exhibit pretty "normal" stupidity!
The_Big_B 1 year, 10 months ago
What did the driver in the OTHER lanes do wrong? The barrier would help protect them from the idiot crossing-over. That's the whole point.
Joe Hyde 1 year, 10 months ago
That 7-10 Junction is a very tricky spot to drive through whether you're entering/exiting K-7 or entering/exiting K-10. The two biggest I see problems are:
1) Merging drivers don't have their left-side rear view mirror aimed correctly. Unable to check their blind spot while merging, they steer straight into the left lane in a manner that cuts off or crowds thru-travelling vehicles that already occupy that lane. Very hairy situation.
2) The merging lanes are not nearly long enough to let merging traffic accelerate to a speed that matches thru-traffic velocity.
An inexpensive safety upgrade would be to simply post localized lower speed limit signs on both highways -- a modest-size speed zone of perhaps 55mph that extends 300 yards all directions. Once through this slower zone a driver could resume driving the 70mph maximum. But while in the zone all thru-vehicles would be moving slower, thus buying time for acceleration of merging traffic, and buying time for making better collision avoidance decisions.
dadt 1 year, 10 months ago
The K-10/K-7 interchange is dangerous especially heading west, but it would improve things if more drivers going through either east or west would move over to the passing lane. Way too many drivers don't move to the passing lane to allow incoming and outgoing traffic to safely merge. It's one of my biggest pet peeves and I drive it daily. One more pet peeve are the idiot speeders, particularly from Douglas County who run late in the morning heading east. Tailgating and speeding are a real problem everywhere on K-10.
The_Big_B 1 year, 10 months ago
When did the rules change? Until a few years ago, merging traffic had the duty to yield -- even stop, if necessary -- until it was safe to enter the highway. Now, people fly down the on-ramp and plow into traffic as though the world must yield to their wishes. Most people try to move left and give room, but sometimes you can't, or you don't see the car on the ramp, and it is the duty of the person ENTERING the highway to yield to those already ON the highway.
Was it around the time that the speed limit went up to 70 that the "yield" signs disappeared from the on-ramps? In any event, it shifted expectations in some drivers that everyone else has the duty to get out of their way, instead of a sense that you have to wait for an opening.
I agree with tailgating and speeding ... and would throw in failing to signal lane changes and turns, and reverse-tailgating -- i.e., cutting back in front of a passed car way too soon and way too close, in effect causing the passed car to be tailgating against their will.
Being a little considerate, and signaling your intentions ahead of time would go a long way.
gphawk89 1 year, 10 months ago
"merging traffic had the duty to yield -- even stop, if necessary -- until it was safe to enter the highway"
This is probably not statistically significant, but: I've witnessed three accidents caused by someone rear-ending someone else who had stopped or significantly slowed down on an on ramp. Common practice in JoCo. But I've never witnessed an accident caused by someone entering the highway at highway speeds, even in heavy traffic.
Ewok79 1 year, 10 months ago
I wouldn't have to tailgate if you knew how to GET OUTTA THE PASSING LANE.
Ewok79 1 year, 10 months ago
I wouldn't have to tailgate if you knew how to GET OUTTA THE PASSING LANE.
senegal66025 1 year, 10 months ago
Slow down please. Drive the speed limit on K-10 and count the cars that pass you.
FieldTested 1 year, 10 months ago
Keep right except to pass, use properly inflated tires with tread on them, don't text while driving, be attentive, learn the rules of the road. That would fix 90% of the problems with driving on K-10. Almost all of the other complaints come down to someone not following these simple rules. Having problems with people tailgating you? I'll wager you are in the left lane going slower than the average speed of traffic. Having trouble with traction on wet roads? Don't drive on tires so bald they are racing slicks.
Ewok79 1 year, 10 months ago
Well said FieldTested, get outta the left lane unless your passing. That does NOT include getting passed on the right side. Please people take care of your vehicals, replace worn tires, inspect & change your brakes as needed. This not your race track.
Kontum1972 1 year, 10 months ago
sorry to say but its not the road.....
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