OTTAWA — A coating of ice created chaos on area highways and sent some people to hospitals. Cars and trucks slid off roads in several locations. An Independence, Mo., man was killed and 11 people were injured when a van went off U.S. 69 in Miami County near New Lancaster and rolled over Saturday afternoon. Bradley Cox, 47, was driving the van south on U.S. 69 in the right lane at 383rd Road when the right rear tire blew out and he lost control of the vehicle on the icy road, the Kansas Highway Patrol said. The van went across the lane and into the median, and rolled over multiple times. The van came to rest on its top in a north-bound lane. He was killed. The 11 passengers, mostly children, in the van were injured and taken to Kansas City area hospitals. They were all wearing seat belts or children’s restraints. The children ranged from teenage to infant. Kansas City TV stations identified the passengers as Cox’s wife, a son-in-law, Cox’s eight daughters and an infant grandson. His son-in-law, Richard LaBlue, 26, Independence, Mo., remained hospitalized this morning and was listed in serious condition. The northbound lanes of I-35 at Wellsville were closed an hour Saturday morning because of two accidents at about the same time a few miles apart. Among the injury accidents reported so far, two people were taken to Ransom Memorial Hospital Friday morning after a weather-related accident on K-68 two miles west of Ottawa. Kyle Schiller, 20, Pomona, was driving west on K-68 when he lost control on an icy bridge, the Kansas Highway Patrol said. His SUV struck the northwest corner of bridge and overturned several times into the north ditch. He and passenger, Myranda Romero, 20, Pomona, were taken to RMH. In an accident on Davis road in front of American Eagle Outfitters Saturday morning, Ottawa police said Brandon Porter and Dawn Saulsberry were treated and released at Ransom Memorial Hospital after their vehicle was hit by a vehicle driven by Shawna Bolei. Police cited Porter for disobeying a stop sign. Three people were injured Saturday morning when two vehicles collided on I-35 two miles north of Wellsville. The highway patrol said Dawn Tri, 23, Wellsville was going north on I-35 when her pickup slid off the road because of ice on a bridge and came to rest in the median. Frolyan Delgado, 58, Emporia, was also going north on I-35 when his car slid off the road at the same spot, went off the road and into crashed into Tri’s pickup. They were injured, as was Delgado’s passenger, 56-year-old Rosa Delgado. They were taken to RMH. In the second accident in the north-bound I-35 lanes Saturday morning just across the Johnson County line just north of Wellsville, Hans Guttmann, 58, Minneapolis, Minn., was taken to RMH after he lost control and struck a guard rail.
Monday, Nov. 30, 4 p.m.
