Centre teen dies in crash
Driver seriously hurt when car crashes into semi
Staff writer
A Centre teen student was killed Monday evening when she was a passenger in a pickup that ran through a stop sign and crashed into a semi-trailer of a semi at K-256 and US-77.
Michelle E. Brasch, 18, Herington, was riding in an eastbound 2001 Ford F-150 driven by fellow Centre student Dwayne S. Moenning, 17, Lost Springs.
Brasch died at the scene. Moenning, seriously injured, was airlifted to Wesley Medical Center, Wichita.
According to Kansas Highway Patrol, Moenning failed to stop at a stop sign while traveling east on K-256. Neither Brasch nor Moenning was wearing a seat belt at the time.
The pickup crashed into the trailer of a northbound 2022 Freightliner driven by Ahmed M. Jeylani, 31, of Plano, Texas. Jeylani, who had no apparent injury, was wearing a seat belt.
Brasch, a senior at Centre, was a cheerleader and member of the track team.
Moenning is an FFA member and co-owner with his brother of a small business repairing small engines and flipping go-carts.
Both students were trapped in the wreckage and had to be freed by Marion firefighters.
Three different helicopter ambulance companies were contacted before one finally was able to airlift Moenning nearly an hour after the crash was reported.
A helicopter also had been sought for Brasch, who apparently succumbed to her injuries before transportation could be arranged.
School counselors from surrounding schools went to Centre on Tuesday to help students and staff members deal with Brasch’s death and Moenning’s injury.
A fund to help the families defray funeral and medical expenses has been established. Donations are being accepted at Tampa State Bank in Tampa, Cottonwood Valley Bank in Lincolnville, Barnes Grocery in Herington, and the Centre district office.
Collection jars also will be available at home basketball games.
During the nearly two hours that emergency responders at the scene of the accident, some detoured north on Upland Rd. to avoid the accident scene.
Upland Rd. north of K-256 is not paved. Enough drivers became stuck that citizens parked their cars on Upland Rd. to prevent more drivers from becoming stuck.
In some earlier editions, the teens had been reported to be in a car rather than a pickup.