Tampa teen dies after car accident
A car accident that occurred early Sunday afternoon north of Durham has claimed the life of a rural Tampa girl.
Seventeen-year-old Heidi Dirks, of rural Tampa, was driving east on 330th Road, east of Tampa, when she lost control of her Chevy Cavalier. It apparently spun 180 degrees and landed in the ditch facing west.
The accident happened near the intersection of Goldenrod and 330th.
The incident occurred shortly after noon. Durham and Tampa EMS workers were the first to arrive on the scene, shortly after 12:30 p.m. They transported Dirks to Hillsboro Community Medical Center, where she was listed in critical condition.
Dirks was then airlifted to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. She died on Monday.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office is handling the investigation.
Dirks was the only one in the car. According to Sheriff Lee Becker, Dirks was not wearing her seatbelt.
Dirks had been employed by Parkside Homes as a dietary aide for the past year. She is also remembered by patrons of Marion's Kingfisher's Inn, where she worked as a waitress.
