Webster/ Schmidt accident at Enders

On Thursday, Sept. 21, a non-injury traffic accident occurred on Highway 61 in the Enders Dam area between a semi truck and a small car. Chase County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 1218 pm. Sheriff Rob Browning responded along with the Imperial Volunteer Fire Department and Chase County EMS personnel.
Julie Webster, 67, of Hill City, Kansas told the deputy she was driving northbound on Highway 61 entering the stretch of highway at Enders Dam. She was met by a semi truck hauling a combine on a flatbed traveling southbound. The tires from the combine protruded out into her lane. She realized there was nowhere to go other than keep going. She collided with the tires of the combine on the driver’s side of her vehicle and the guard rail on the passenger side of her vehicle.
Both vehicles were able to continue to a safe stopping point and pull off the roadway. Both Julie Webster and the semi truck driver, Christian Schmidt, 30, of Roscoe, South Dakota, declined medical attention, deputy Browning said. The Imperial Fire Department remained on-scene until he completed processing the traffic accident, deputy Browning said.
Webster’s vehicle, a 2013 Volkswagen Passat 4 door sedan, was taken to Harchelroad for repairs. The semi truck driven by Schmidt, a 2019 Peterbilt hauling a combine on a flatbed, was able to continue to his destination in rural Chase County. He was part of a traveling harvest crew.