Report shows fatigue, possible medication as factors in South Lawrence Trafficway accident

Douglas County Sheriff’s investigators believe a 31-year-old Lawrence man was fatigued or fell asleep at the wheel and was possibly under the influence of medication when his car hit two vehicles Monday afternoon on the South Lawrence Trafficway, according to an accident report.

Investigators have submitted a blood sample taken from driver Seth Outcalt to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for testing. It could take weeks to obtain results. Outcalt and his 9-month-old son, Nolan Outcalt, were treated and released Monday from area hospitals.

No citations have been issued in connection with the crash that occurred at 1:35 p.m. on the SLT, which is also Kansas Highway 10, west of Lawrence.

“While the report is complete, certain areas are still under investigation as we wait for results from the lab,” Undersheriff Steve Hornberger said Wednesday.

According to the accident report, Outcalt was traveling south in a 1997 silver Honda Civic on the SLT and drifted into the oncoming lane, where he struck a blue 1996 Ford truck and a white 2000 Ford van.

The drivers of the other two vehicles, Bradley Rockhold, 38, Ottawa, and Jason Leggitt, 30, Berryton, were not injured, and there is no evidence either was impaired, the report said.

All three drivers wore their seat belts, and Outcalt told officers Nolan was in an infant car seat.

In an interview with a deputy at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Outcalt said he could not remember how the accident occurred. Deputy Richard Labahn wrote that Outcalt did tell him he had dropped his daughter off at day care near U.S. Highway 40 and the SLT, and was headed home with his son before the accident.

“As I was talking to Seth, it appeared as if he were falling asleep,” Labahn wrote. “Then he would wake up and try to talk more, but Seth could not remember how the accident happened.”

Labahn’s report on the interviews contained no details about Outcalt taking medication, but the accident report lists medication as a possible contributing factor. Hornberger said deputies believed Oucalt had ingested medication before the crash, based on what they saw at the scene or were told during the course of the investigation. According to the report, Outcalt was also driving on a suspended license.