OTTAWA – A sudden storm packing a hurricane of freezing rain and sleet early Sunday morning created hazardous driving conditions on area roads and caused several accidents. A box truck slid off I-35 in Osage County near Waverly at about 5 a.m. No one was injured but Osage County Emergency Management and Melvern Fire Department personnel were summoned to the scene because of oil leaking from the truck. Shortly after, a car went off the interstate in almost the same place and rolled over. One patient was taken to a nearby hospital after complaining of some pain. Other Sunday morning crashes involving injuries reported by the Kansas Highway Patrol: A trucker was injured when the semi-truck he was sleeping in went off 1-35. early yesterday morning. Salvador Vasquez, 49, El Paso, Texas, was driving the truck south on I-35 near Edgerton Road, lost control and the truck went into the ditch and turned on its side. Vasquez, who wasn’t injured, was wearing a seat belt. However, Charles Jeddery, 50, El Paso, was in the sleeper at the time of the accident and wasn’t restrained and was injured. He was taken to Ransom Memorial Hospital, Ottawa. A 49-year-old Lawrence woman was injured as a result of a one-vehicle accident on U.S. 59 north of the Franklin County line. Julie Vineyard was driving north on U.S. 59 about a mile south of the U.S. 56 interchange when she lost control because she was going too fast for the icy roadway. Her SUV slid sideways, rolled over several times as it went down a deep ditch, and came to rest at the bottom. She was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital. She was wearing a seat belt. A 31-year-old Pleasanton woman was injured in a one-vehicle accident caused by icy conditions. Richard Dunn, 31, Pleasanton, was driving north on U.S. 69 about six miles northeast of LaCygne when he lost control of his mini-van on the ice and slush on the road, and the van went off the road and rolled over. His passenger, Ashley Copple, was injured and was taken to Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott. The highway patrol said neither was wearing a seat belt. However, four children who were riding in the mini-van were in safety restraints and weren’t injured.
Tuesday, Feb. 16, 3 p.m.
