UPDATE: Noon, Friday – The man killed Thursday night has been identified as Michael G. Phillips, 60, of rural Winfield.
Phillips worked at the Winfield Correctional Facility and was presumably on his way home when the accident occurred, Cowley County undersheriff Bill Mueller said. He was driving a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer.
Indications are Phillips hit a slick spot on the bridge and struck the south guard rail which sent the vehicle into the north ditch where it struck a tree.
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Slick Cowley County roads killed one man – and injured others – as a blast of winter weather made travel treacherous late Thursday.
Around 9:45 p.m., an unidentified man died when his vehicle left the roadway on 132nd Rd. – also known as Cowley 18 – west of 101st Rd. The vehicle struck a tree and the impact likely killed the driver instantly, emergency personnel at the scene said.
The location of the accident was a few miles northeast of Winfield.
A passing motorist saw a car in the ditch and reported to 911 that the driver appeared to be dead. Investigators believe the man was westbound on the Timber Creek Bridge, which had been made slick by wet and cold conditions.
Other weather-related accidents left at least two people injured, according to emergency personnel. Two rollover accidents were reported in a brief time span, but injuries that resulted were not life threatening.
Crews said at least nine accidents were reported as bridges and elevated portions of roadways became slippery.
Check back with NewsCow for more as it is available.
The approximate location of the accident is shown here: