Two women die in traffic accidents Thursday evening
Two women died in separate accidents on the same stretch of road just minutes apart at dusk Thursday in the southwest corner of Miami County.
A 2005 Cadillac with two occupants was southbound on U.S. Highway 169 when it slid on the icy roadway, went down an embankment and crashed into a pond about 5:36 p.m., according to a Miami County Sheriff’s Office report.
A female passenger from Greeley was able to break open the submerged vehicle’s sunroof and swim to the bank, but the driver, Mary J. Crawford, 53, of Garnett, was trapped in the vehicle and died at the scene.
The passenger told first responders she heard the second accident occur while she was swimming to the bank. In that accident, a 2006 Chevrolet Impala was southbound on U.S. 169 when it crossed the centerline and struck a northbound 2000 Buick LeSabre head-on, according to the Sheriff’s Office report.
An Anderson County woman driving the Impala and her passengers — an adult daughter, an 8-year-old granddaughter and a 1-year-old grandson, all of Anderson County — were transported from the scene to Kansas City area hospitals. The infant passenger was reportedly ejected from the vehicle.
The driver of the LeSabre, Mary C. Stussey, 66, a Wisconsin resident, died at the scene, according to the report. Her sister, an Illinois resident who was a passenger in the vehicle, was transported to a Kansas City area hospital.
The investigation continued into the early-morning hours Friday and a five-mile section of the highway remained shut down.
Local agencies assisting with the investigation included the Johnson County and Franklin County Sheriff’s offices, the Overland Park Police Department, Miami County EMS and the Osawatomie Fire Department.
— Doug Carder
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