HARVEY COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities have released additional details about Saturday night’s accident on South Kansas Avenue in Newton that sent a woman to the hospital in critical condition.
According to a social media report from Newton Police, this was a complex series of events that was not easy to piece together.
Just before 10:30p.m. Saturday, Newton Police were dispatched to an accident in the 1600 block of South Kansas. Officer Brad Anderson was leaving a call at Newton Medical Center and arrived within minutes.
When he arrived, Officer Anderson saw power lines down across South Kansas. He met with a man who said his wife had suffered severe leg injuries. Anderson followed the man to his wife and applied tourniquets to both of her legs to stop the bleeding. Newton Fire/EMS arrived a short time later and transported the woman to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.
The accident investigation revealed that the couple had stopped to check on the driver of another vehicle that had left the road and struck guy wires supporting an electrical pole. The pole carried power lines over U.S. Highway 50, and the damage caused those power lines to sag.
A semi-truck was eastbound on U.S. 50, unaware the power lines were sagging over the road. The roof of the semi snagged the lines, causing the poles on South Kansas on both the north and south sides of U.S. 50 to detach, sending guy wires, poles, and power lines across South Kansas at a high velocity. It is believed this flying debris is what struck the female victim as she was standing outside her vehicle.
The man who initially struck the pole did not appear to be injured in the accident, but he was transported to the hospital for a medical condition. The driver of the semi was not injured in the accident.
Officer Anderson has been with the Newton Police Department since September 2018. We are proud of his efforts to help save the victim’s life.
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HARVEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a weekend accident in Newton that sent two people to the hospital.
Just after 10:15 p.m. Saturday, Newton Police and Newton Fire/EMS were dispatched to an accident with injuries in the 1600 block of South Kansas Avenue, according to a social media report from police.
A man driving was believed to have suffered a medical issue, which caused his car to hit a power pole and take down several live wires. A woman who stopped to help was hurt by debris that had been struck by another passing vehicle.
Police arrived and rendered first aid to the 40-year-old woman. EMS transported her to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita with severe injuries. Based on the most current information, the woman is in critical but stable condition. EMS transported the man to Newton Medical Center for treatment. Police did not released names of the victims.