An Ark City teen is in serious condition following a head-on collision on the Arkansas River bridge south of Ark City late Sunday. A woman injured in the accident was treated and released from the hospital.
Samuel Rocio, 18, was first taken to South Central Kansas Regional Medical Center and later transferred to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita by air ambulance. He was listed in critical condition Sunday but has since been upgraded to serious condition, according to a Wesley spokesperson.
Rocio was a passenger in a 2001 Chrysler 300 driven by Sandra Torres, 18, Ark City. Torres was hospitalized for a time but later released.
Torres was driving northbound across the bridge and collided head on with a 1996 Lincoln Town Car driven by Isaac J. Clark, 16, of rural Ark City, according to Cowley County undersheriff Bill Mueller.
Mueller said Clark was southbound on U.S. 77 when he lost control of his vehicle due to icy conditions. Clark’s car fish-tailed before crossing the median and causing the accident.
Clark and a younger passenger, Kelly Jo Clark, 14, sustained minor injuries.
