Woman Killed in Crash

A woman from California was killed in a crash involving an alleged distracted driver on a South Central Kansas highway.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, a 1999 Buick LeSabre was stopped on U.S. 281 Highway waiting to make a left turn into a private driveway. The car was rear-ended by a Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck. The agency says the driver of the truck was distracted by a cell phone.

The car spun out of control and landed in a front yard. The truck came to rest in a wheat field.

A passenger in the car, 78-year-old Ida John from Lincoln, California, was killed. The driver, 84-year-old Lee Depperschmidt from Rush Center, Kansas was injured. He was transported to a Wichita hospital with suspected serious injuries.

The driver of the truck, 25-year-old Ashley Bowles from Great Bend was not injured.

The crash happened Friday evening at around 5:30, about 1.5 miles NW of Hoisington on U.S. 281 Highway in Barton County.