Three people were injured Tuesday following a crash near Tuttle Creek Blvd (US-24) and Hwy 13.
The Kansas Highway Patrol says an eastbound SUV was attempting a left turn onto Hwy 13 when it failed to yield and was struck by a westbound pickup hauling a trailer. The two vehicles collided and came to rest on the north shoulder of Hwy 24.
Two of the passengers in the SUV sustained serious injuries. According to the crash report, 16-year-old Micah Uga, of Manhattan, was transported by Life Star helicopter to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. The other passenger, 18-year-old Wyatt Henton, of Manhattan, was transported by ambulance to Ascension Via Christi in Manhattan.
The SUV’s driver, 17-year-old Reece Carson, of Manhattan, sustained a minor injury and was also transported to Via Christi.
The pickup driver, 34-year-old Brandon Bussen, of Wamego, sustained no apparent injury. According to the crash report, none of those involved in the crash were properly restrained.
The intersection is one of the most dangerous in the region. A March 2019 corridor management plan (see below, page 55 of report), prepared by the Kansas Department of Transportation, stated it has a crash rate of 97.6 crashes per 100 million entering vehicles, which is almost twice the statewide average of 50 crashes per 100 million entering vehicles.
In its 2019 report, KDOT listed that intersection, as well as the Seth Child/Tuttle Creek Blvd. intersection, at the top of its priority list for proposed roundabouts, though it’s unknown how soon either of those projects will be constructed.
K-113_Seth_Child_Rd_Corridor_Mgt Plan