Deputy Sgt. Justin Mueller and members of the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department investigate at the scene of a one-vehicle accident east of Imperial mid-morning Monday after the driver, Shelly Yoder of Wauneta, was taken to the hospital. (Johnson Publications photo)
Pickup totaled in Monday accident east of Imperial
Seat belts were crucial in limiting injuries from a one-vehicle accident east of Imperial that totaled a half-ton pickup.
That’s the opinion of Chase County Deputy Sgt. Justin Mueller, who investigated the accident about four miles east of Imperial on Highway 6 near the Holiness Church Camp.
Shelly Yoder, 56, of rural Wauneta was eastbound in a 2007 Chevy half-ton when her vehicle began to drift off the highway.
Mueller’s report indicated she felt light-headed at the time and the next thing she remembers was the smell of the vehicle’s air bag going off. Mueller was told she has a medical condition that may have been a factor.
“She either fainted or blacked out,” he said.
The pickup left the road, went into the ditch on the north side of the highway where it traveled 327 feet until hitting a culvert near the church camp entrance where it came to a stop, Mueller said.
She was wearing a seat belt, which saved her from serious injuries, he said. The pickup was a total loss, according to the report.
However, she was transported by Imperial EMS to Chase County Community Hospital, where she was treated and released.
Deputy Duncan Einspahr assisted at the scene. The Imperial Volunteer Fire Department also responded.