According to a release from Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie, the first happened Saturday evening around 7:40, with deputies called to K-116 Highway and Ellsworth Road in Atchison County. Laurie says 19-year-old Landon Wahquahboshkuk of Horton had been driving a Volkswagen Passat when it left the roadway and struck a tree. Atchison County EMS and Rescue also responded, transporting Wahquahboshkuk by ambulance to Stormont Vail in Topeka for treatment of possible injuries.
Laurie says it's "believed that alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the crash," with the investigation continuing.
Wahquahboshkuk vehicle/Credit: Atchison Co Sheriff
The second wreck happened Sunday evening around 7:00, sending deputies to the crash scene, U.S. 73 Highway at Thomas Road, where Laurie says 32-year-old Joshua Morris of Leavenworth crashed the Ford he'd been driving.
The investigation shows Morris had been northbound on the highway when his vehicle ran off into a ditch, crashed into a fence, and came to rest against a tree.
Laurie says it's "believed that Morris suffered a medical emergency which led to the crash."
Atchison County EMS and Rescue transported Morris to Providence Medical Center, in Leavenworth, for evaluation.
The Sheriff's Office also worked two separate traffic related incidents in recent days; and while neither involved a wreck, both involved speeds that fell just short of reaching 100 mph.
The first of the two high-speed stops was made last Thursday, on U.S. Highway 59 near 214th Road.
It was there, Laurie's release says, that a deputy stopped Michigan resident John Lalonde shortly before 4:00 and cited him for driving 90 mph in a 65 mph zone.
The second, similar stop, involving the same speed limit, came early Sunday evening shortly before 5:40.
That's when, Laurie says, a deputy stopped eastern Missouri resident Brian Rowles on U.S. Highway 73 at 230th Road.
The 22-year-old driver was cited by the deputy for driving 90 mph in the 65 mph zone.
The citations come after a rash of high-speed stops across Kansas in recent years, with statistics from the Kansas Highway Patrol showing that since 2013, there's been a steady increase in the number of drivers exceeding 100 mph in the state.
