More information on recent accidents was released Friday when reports were made available at the Great Bend Police Department.
At 4:45 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, a vehicle hit a trailer and pickup in the 1300 block of Frey St., knocking a large tool box and items onto the road. The driver then left. As one officer arrived to investigate, another found the suspect vehicle in the 1500 block of Lakin Ave. A sport utility vehicle driven by Cecilia Rios, 26, Great Bend, had hit a phone pole and tension wire, and a brick house at 1513 Lakin.
The driver said she had been falling asleep at both accidents. She was not injured. Rios was arrested and booked into the Barton County Jail on charges of no driver’s license, leaving the scene of an accident, duty of driver to report, unattended vehicle and improper tires. She was released Sunday after posting a $500 surety bond.
Two accidents logged as vehicle-pedestrian collisions actually involved bicycles colliding with vehicles.
At 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 21, a bike ridden by Harry Willems, 66, Great Bend, hit the back of a Nissan Altima driven by Kathryn Louise Ney, 22, Garden City, as the driver was parking next to a curb in the 5500 block of Broadway. Willems thought the car was turning into a drive and said when it suddenly stopped he was unable to avoid a collision. He was evaluated by Great Bend Emergency Medical Service but refused treatment or transport.
Another man on a bicycle, 39-year-old Troy Parks of Great Bend, collided with a white car at 12th and Odell St. at 4:40 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20. A witness said an older woman was driving the car and did not stop. Parks was taken to Great Bend Regional Hospital by the Fire Department Ambulance. He reportedly had minor injuries and was kept overnight.
This past Thursday, Sept. 26, Antoinette Borst, 17, Great Bend, was walking across the 2300 block of 19th St., south of Great Bend High School, and was hit by a Toyota Corolla driven by Madeline Vesta, 16, Great Bend. Vesta said the sun was in her face and she did not see Borst. Witnesses agreed the driver was at or below the speed limit and the pedestrian was not in the crosswalk. Upon impact, Borst rolled up on the hood and hit her head on the windshield, then fell to the street. The car had front-end damage and Borst had a bump above her left eye, and a scrape on her forehead and on the right side of her head. She was treated at the hospital and released.