Easter Sunday accident blamed on blown tire

McCOOK, Neb. -- A blown tire may have caused the Easter Sunday accident that sent two adults and a baby to Community Hospital of McCook.

Indianola emergency personnel responded first to the accident that happened about 2 p.m. on Highway 6&34 at the highway and county roads intersection at the old Republican Valley High School between Indianola and McCook. Th Indianola ambulance transported the passenger, Nicole Swanson, and an infant to the hospital in McCook, and Indianola fire Chief Tom Davidson requested mutual aid personnel, equipment and an ambulance from the City of McCook Fire Department.

EMT's and paramedics used Jaws of Life equipment to remove the driver's side doors and pull the engine compartment away from the passenger compartment to allow room to extricate the driver, Michael Best, 21, of McCook.

Red Willow County Sheriff's Deputy Justin Davis indicates in his report that the Best car was westbound when it left the highway to the right. It struck a highway chevron sign and post, crossed County Drive 391 and struck a stop sign and post. The car then traveled through the air until it struck a ditch embankment 52 feet west of the intersection and continued traveling westbound until it came to a stop 189 feet west of where it initially left the highway.

Best told EMT's that a blown tire caused the accident.

Davis noted the passenger side front tire was flat, and that the other three were inflated. He also noted that all four tires were worn past their "wear" indicators.

No signs of alcohol or drug use were found in the car, Davis reports, adding that EMTS believe that the baby had been properly secured in a booster seat but that the two adults were not wearing seat belts.

Assisting Davis on the scene of the accident was Deputy Jake Metcalf.

At the same time EMT's were extracting Best from his car, a second accident happened, about 2:45 p.m., on the highway to the west, where traffic in the eastbound traveling lane had been stopped because of the first accident.

An Indianola woman, Carol A. Fegley, was transported to the hospital in Cambridge from that second accident. The drivers of the two other vehicles involved in the second accident, (David Durner of Bartley driving a pickup and Lora Childers of Cambridge driving a car), Fegley's passenger and Childers' passenger were not injured. Durner was alone in the pickup. Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Dan Thompson indicates in his report that everyone was wearing seat belts.

Assisting on the scene of both accidents were personnel from the Red Willow Western Rural Fire Department and officers of Nebraska Game and Parks.