Monday, March 26, 2001
The University Daily Kansan
Section A · Page 5
Students jostled in snowy collision
Alternative break participants OK after car accident
By Amanda Beglin
writer @kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
A two-car accident involving eight KU students last weekend failed to halt an alternative spring break trip to Salt Lake City.
The students, participants in the University's Alternative Spring Break program, were driving to Utah when a minivan collided with their Ford Excursion on Interstate 70 near Denver.
The driver of the minivan suffered a broken collarbone and his daughter, the front passenger, suffered cuts and bruises. Both were transported by ambulance to a Denver hospital and were released several hours later, according to site leader Chris Huskev. Dallas senior.
Huskey said that the students reported seat belt burns and soreness but were not injured.
"No one was hurt we were just nervous," Huskey said. "They checked us out in the ambulance. Everyone was OK."
The minivan, containing a St. Louis family en route to Breckenridge. Colo., was traveling
in front of the Excursion at 6:15 a.m.
Saturday, March 17, when it ran off
the right side of the road, Huskey
said.
"It was just beginning to snow," Huskey said. "The car ran off, corrected itself on the grass, sped up and got back on the pavement."
But when the van entered the interstate again, Huskey said, it collided with the right front end of the Excursion. The crash caused the Excursion to spin and collide with the back of the minivan as both vehicles slid into the median and came to a stop.
Huskey said a back window shattered during the crash, causing some luggage to spill onto the road. Huskey retrieved it and said neither car was in danger of being hit by oncoming traffic.
The students were transported by ambulance to a fire station in Bennett, Colo., just east of Denver, where they were treated to food, relaxation and television while ASB coordinators in Lawrence scrambled to find transportation to Utah for the students.
The students rented two Pontiac sedans to complete their travels and the Excursion wreckage was taken to an impound lot near Denver.
The cars were due back to the Denver rental agency by 6 p.m. Friday, so the students stayed overnight in a Denver church and rode a Greyhound bus back to Lawrence.
Kyle Ramsev/KANSAN
The Red Cross also alided the group-in-waiting while drawing raves from participant Craig Bennett and site leaders Huskey and Sarah Shik, Overland Park junior.
"We were really in a bind," Bennett said. "They gave us food and vouchers for our cab ride to the dealership."
Six of the eight students were awakened by the crash, and they were divided about continuing their trip.
A tab at Denny's restaurant and a hotel room in Denver were also provided, they said.
Bennett said the group had several discussions the night of the crash to decide which direction to drive on I-70 — west toward Utah or east toward Kansas. Jostled but rested, the group continued west.
Some students, including Shik.
admitted to being shaken by the accident, but all now agree that boarding a bus back to Lawrence afterward would have been admitting defeat.
"I'm surprised we continued, but I'm glad we did," Shik said. "I saw the car go off the road and come back on, and I was pretty shocked that it hit us. But that next day, driving out
of Denver, it was so beautiful."
Bennett said the group "did a lot of good" in Salt Lake City last week.
"We planted 300 trees with the
"We planted 300 trees with the help of elementary school kids," Bennett said. "We planted wildflowers in a city park before the park's dedication, and planted some flowers in the Salt Lake City visitor's center. It was an awesome experience. I'm glad we went."
Bennett said as the group discussed their alternative spring break over lunch in Colby on Friday, they all agreed that the accident didn't overshadow the trip's highlights.
"Instead of ruining our trip, it really brought us together," Bennett said. "It was all worth it."
Eric Snider, Wichita senior and site leader for ASB's El Paso trip, said the program was not responsible for the damage that occurred in the accident.
"Of course there's a risk when you get into a car," he said. "We plan for the worst, so we have collision insurance."
Edited by Jennifer Valadez
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