Snow contributes to injury accidents, other mishaps in Bourbon County

About three hours after snow began flying on Saturday, slick road conditions triggered back-to-back injury accidents and numerous incidents of motor vehicles sliding off of Southeast Kansas roadways.

Heavy snow pounded Bourbon County relentlessly for about six hours on Saturday, unloading around four inches of snow before ending late Saturday. It was the second consecutive weekend a winter snow has blanketed the area.

Around 3 p.m. Teresa Melgazo, 28, was driving east on Kansas Highway 7 near Fern Road south of Fort Scott when the ice and snow-covered roadway induced the vehicle she was driving to slide out of control, Bourbon County Deputy Sheriff John Taylor said.

The 2007 Toyota Tacoma overturned and trapped the Girard resident inside her vehicle until rescue workers arrived on the scene. The vehicle landed upright after making one complete rotation,Taylor said. Melgazo, who was headed to work at Mercy Health Center, instead arrived there in an ambulance and was treated for minor injuries. It later turned out those injuries were only bruises, Taylor said.

About 20 minutes later, Taylor responded to another injury accident, this one at 215th Street about one-half mile south of Poplar Road north of Fort Scott. Marissa Milburn,16, Fort Scott, was driving north on 215th when her 2000 Ford Explorer crossed the center line and slammed into the side of a 1970s model Ford pick-up truck headed south, Taylor said. Once again slick roads apparently played a large role in causing the accident, he said.

The name of the driver of the truck is known but has not been verified as of press time.

Both drivers were transported to Mercy and treated with unspecified injuries that are not considered life-threatening.

The snow on Saturday caused multiple other non-injury wrecks and slide-offs on U.S. Highway 69 south and U.S. Highway 54 west, Taylor added. Fort Scott Police also worked several non-injury accidents and assisted drivers who got stuck in the heavy, wet snow.