Kansas Klips

Five hospitalized after pickup, trailer overturn on ice

THOMAS COUNTY—On Friday, March 8th, five people were injured in an accident just before 8:00 a.m. in Thomas County. The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2010 F250 driven byAdrian Jose Garcia, 38, Washington, Arkansas, was westbound on Interstate 70, one mile east of County Road 22. The pickup and attached trailer hit a patch of ice on the overpass just before County Road K. The driver lost control of the vehicle, which rolled and came to rest in the north ditch. EMS transported Garcia and passengers, identified as 28-year-old Luis Antonia, 31-year-old Edgar Luna Garcia, 19-year-old Alan Morales, and 40–year–old Jose Ortega, to the hospital in Colby. According to the KHP, all five were not wearing seat belts. The KHP did release information on where the injured passengers lived. (Hays Post)

Some fans at frigid Chiefs playoff game underwent amputations

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI—Some of the people who attended the near-record cold Kansas City Chiefs playoff game in January had to undergo amputations, a Missouri hospital stated. Research Medical Center didn’t provide exact numbers but said in a statement that some of the twelve people who had to undergo amputations after the cold snap had been at the game. The amputations involved primarily fingers and toes. The hospital said more surgeries are expected over the next two to four weeks as “injuries evolve.” The University of Kansas Hospital said it also treated frostbite victims after the game but did not report any amputations. The temperature of the Dolphins/Chiefs wild-card playoff game was minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 Celsius), and wind gusts made for a wind-chill of minus 27 degrees F (minus 22 C). That shattered the record for the coldest game in Arrowhead Stadium history, which had been one degree F (minus 17 C), set in a 1983 game against Denver and matched in 2016 againstTennessee. Frostbite can occur on exposed skin within 30 minutes, said Dr. Megan Garcia, the medical director of the Grossman Burn Center at Research, in answering one of the top questions she is asked. The timing can be even shorter if there is a wind chill. Fans were allowed to bring heated blankets into the stadium and small pieces of cardboard to place under their feet on the cold concrete. The Chiefs didn’t immediately respond to email messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. (Hays Post)

Distracted driver rear-ends Kansas State Trooper

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A districted driver and Kansas State Trooper avoided injury after a rear-end crash recently. The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a distracted driver struck the rear driver’s side of a Troop F patrol vehicle that had come to a stop. Troop F includes a portion of 13 counties in south-central Kansas. There were no injuries. The KHP reminded drivers: “Please put your cell phones and other devices away while driving. Distracted driving crashes are preventable.” (Hays Post)

Gender-affirming care ban advances to Kansas House Floor

TOPEKA—Kansas lawmakers have advanced a bill banning all gender-affirming care of minors. The House Health Committee approved the Bill on Thursday, March 7th, and is on target to fast-track it through the Senate. However, the Bill could await a veto from the state’s Democratic Governor. Nexstar’s Kansas Capital Bureau spoke with Democratic Governor Laura Kelly about the plan. “This is not the first time they’ve passed that Bill out…and I think you can look back in history and see how I’ve responded in the past, and I really haven’t changed my position,” Kelly said. The Governor has vetoed similar legislation in the past. During the committee meeting on Thursday, March 7th, Republics made several changes to the House Bill, including creating a motion to substitute its contents into a similar Bill that passed the Senate last year. If the House passes the Bill, the Senate will only have to concur instead of scheduling it for a hearing. In addition to banning doctors from providing gender transition treatments to minors, the Bill would also allow for a “civil cause of action” against doctors providing treatments. Under the plan, doctors could also lose their license if they perform any treatments listed in the Bill. The Bill was headed to the House Floor for a vote, if it passes both Chambers, it will be sent to the Governor’s desk. If she vetoes the plan, the House will need 84 votes to override a veto, and the Senate will need 27 votes. (KSNT)