SEDGWICK COUNTY, Kan. (KWCH) - One person suffered critical injuries in a Friday night crash near Valley Center. The crash, reported a little after 9:30 p.m. happened in the 8200 block of North Ridge Road, near 85th North and Ridge. A vehicle hit the back of a parked car that was disabled, the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office said.
Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Forshee said first responders found several vehicles in the ditch upon arrival at the scene. During the investigation, he said it was discovered that people were attempting to remove the disabled vehicle from an area partially in a ditch when an approaching vehicle didn’t see hazard lights nor pre-indicators that a car ahead was stopped. That approaching vehicle hit the parked car.
The person critically injured in the crash was in the parked car, Forshee said. He said he didn’t believe speed or distracted driving were factors in the crash. He said it was “just a situation where they couldn’t see [the stopped vehicle] in the roadway.”
Forshee emphasized the importance of using hazards and encouraged drivers not to hesitate calling for emergency help if they’re in a difficult spot on a dark road.