Three people injured in accident on U.S. Highway 59 north of Baldwin Junction
One person was seriously injured and two people sustained minor injuries Wednesday morning after a two-vehicle accident about seven miles south of Lawrence.
Lori Pheigaru, of Topeka, was driving a 2002 Nissan Sentra north on U.S. Highway 59 about 11:15 a.m. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Sentra crossed the center line while negotiating a curve and entered the southbound lanes.
It collided head-on with a 2002 Chevrolet pickup truck driven south by Daniel Zirkle, 28, of Burlingame.
Pheigaru, 47, was taken to Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center in Topeka with serious injuries before she was transferred to Kansas University Hospital in Kansas City, Kan.
Zirkle, 28, of Burlingame, and his passenger, Andres Cardenas, 28, of Tigard, Ore., were taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital with minor injuries. Cardenas was treated and released, but Zirkle was transferred to another hospital, according to LMH officials.
Firefighters had inquired about using a LifeStar helicopter to transport Pheigaru, who had to be extricated from the vehicle. Because of rain, however, no emergency helicopters were flying.