By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir is urging caution after a pair of vehicle accidents in virtually the same spot in Barton County last week. Last Tuesday, a Hoisington man was killed at the intersection of U.S. 281 Highway and JUCO Road just north of Great Bend. Another serious crash occurred at the intersection of Washington Ave. and JUCO Road the next day. For starters, Bellendir said to be on the lookout for motorcycles.
"It's that time of year again," he said. "People are getting their bikes out. They're going to be out riding and enjoying the countryside and traveling. I just want everybody to take a second look at these intersections when you go to make a turn. Obviously, the smaller profile of a motorcycle is harder to see."
An unlicensed driver, 26-year-old Holly Crum of Great Bend, attempted to make a left turn onto 281 Highway when she pulled her passenger car in front of the motorcycle. Bellendir said T-bone collisions like that are among the most common threat to motorcycle riders, and urged riders to wear a helmet. The cyclist usually takes the brunt of the accident, even if it is not their fault.
Bellendir also said the nature of that intersection adds danger to the equation. Not only is there a lot of movement in different directions, but the intersection is offset.
'It's kind of a proven traffic engineering thing that you want a 90-degree T intersection or a 90-degree turn because of visibility," he said. "Let's say a road intersects with another road at 30 degrees, you can see to your right okay, but when you look back to your left, your vision is obscured because you're sitting at that angle."
Wednesday's accident at Washington and JUCO Road comes after the county added various flashing lights and other safety mechanisms to prevent future crashes.
"Once again, this was a turning incident," said Bellendir. "I've worked a lot of accidents on that intersection since I was a cop back in the 80s. I've seen some pretty severe stuff happen there. I don't really understand it because that is a true 90-degree, squared intersection. Visibility is not that bad. They've cut down a bunch of those trees. But even before that, there was a good line of sight on that roadway."
Bellendir did offer a driving tip for intersections like that at Washington and JUCO Road: drivers must stop at the sign, but statute does not always require drivers to stop behind the stop sign.
"If there is no stop line there, you don't even have to stop at the stop sign," he said. "You can stop right at the intersection under the statute. That gives you a little more visibility to see up and down those roads when you're at that type of intersection."