Two drivers were injured Wednesday afternoon in a three-car accident involving an Arkansas City grass-firefighting rig, Cowley County Sheriff Don Read said.
Gerald Lobmeyer, 60, of rural Ark City was stopped in the 5000 block of U.S. 166 where the grass rig had parked in the roadway with emergency gear and lights activated. Firefighters were battling a grass fire about a mile west of Ark City at the time.
The accident occurred around 12:35 p.m when a car, driven by Dorothy Flanders, 76, South Haven, approached the stopped vehicles. Flanders did not stop in time and her 1998 Pontiac Bonneville struck Lobmeyer’s 1999 Ford Ranger from behind, Read said.
The collision propelled Lobmeyer’s truck into the grass rig.
Both Lobmeyer and Flanders were transported to a hospital in Arkansas City for treatment. Their conditions were not immediately available.
Read said the 1998 Dodge 3500 ? known more commonly as a grass rig ? was damaged but neither of the two firefighters at the scene was hurt.
Smoke had created low-visibility conditions at the scene. No decision has been made on whether to issue citations in the case.
"Obviously the smoky conditions contributed to the accident," Read said. "At the same time, in those conditions it’s important to travel at an appropriate speed."
Read said collisions between the general public and public-service vehicles are rare in Cowley County. With the sheriff’s office alone putting half a million miles on their patrol cars last year, that surprises Read.
"But I think our guys do a good job of being cautious and turning on their lights and sirens," he said. "And for the most part people do a good job of slowing down and getting out of their way."
The map below shows an approximate location of the accident.
