Two people were hospitalized Friday afternoon following a two-vehicle crash on Barton County Road near Ellinwood.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, at around 1:15 p.m. Friday, a 1992 Nissan truck driven by 81-year-old David Dixon of Ellinwood was eastbound on Barton County Road a mile west of Ellinwood and crossed the center line for unspecified reasons. A westbound 2001 Chrysler 300M driven by 61-year-old David Simmons of Stafford left the roadway while attempting to avoid a collision with Dixon’s vehicle and struck a power pole. 

Simmons, along with a passenger, 86-year-old Claudia Whetstone of Ellinwood, were both transported to University of Kansas Health Systems - Great Bend Campus with what KHP believed to be serious injuries. Dixon, and a 7-year-old passenger, Kameron Greathouse of Ellinwood, were not believed to have been injured in the crash. All four occupants were properly seat-belted at the time of the crash.