KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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On Tuesday, witnesses stepped up to help an injured motorcyclist in the westbound lanes of K-10 Highway in Lawrence after he crashed into an oncoming vehicle.
The accident occurred as the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) continues its $171 million K-10/South Lawrence Trafficway project. Construction for the project — currently on the eastbound side of K-10 — began in September 2024 and will expand to the westbound side next year.
KDOT says expanding lanes and a divider will improve safety and mobility.
Currently, as you travel westbound on K-10 along the south side of Lawrence, the two lanes narrow down to one at the interchange for U.S. Highway 59.
The motorcyclist slowed for traffic, lost control and collided with an oncoming vehicle on westbound K-10 between Iowa Street and W 27th Street/Wakarusa Drive, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office (DCSO). He sustained serious injuries and is in critical condition as of Wednesday afternoon.
Sarah Hanson, 19, was on her way to the mall when she approached the crash site. She carries a first-aid kit in her car.
“I’m CPR and emergency first-aid certified, so I knew I could step in, and so I immediately, without a second thought, put my car in park, hazards on, reached behind me, grabbed my first-aid kit, opened my door and just ran," she said.
Hanson said she received her certification through the American Red Cross. She says she and about five others — including a physician — got out of their cars to help before first responders arrived.
Hanson said that all the gauze in her first aid kit was used. She and others held up a blanket to keep the sunlight out of the motorcyclist's eyes and to provide privacy from onlookers, she said.
"It shows a really good community basis for the Lawrence community and there's still a lot of good people out there," she said.
As a frequent traveler of K-10, Hanson said she notices people "tend to slow down because of construction."
"It just bottlenecks, but it's just part of what we have to go through to make the highway ultimately safer," said Capt. Josh Kellerman with the DCSO.
Kellerman said DCSO has been fortunate not to see "a lot of serious accidents that have occurred out there" during the ongoing construction project. He said that at certain times of the day, traffic is "bumper to bumper" along the stretch of K-10.
Kellerman said that once the project is completed in 2028, first responders will also benefit from the improved traffic flow.
“It also helps with the congestion in town, when you can funnel people outside of town and they don’t have to drive through Lawrence to get to their destination," he said.
According to KDOT, in addition to expanding K-10 to create a four-lane divided highway, the K-10/South Lawrence Trafficway will:
- Reconstruct the 27th Street/Wakarusa Dr. interchange
- "The existing traffic signal will be removed and access to the local streets will be made via new on and off-ramps. New bridges will carry K-10 traffic over Wakarusa, allowing local traffic, bicyclists, and pedestrians to cross safely," a KDOT spokesperson said in an email.
- Realign the interchange at Clinton Parkway to improve safety by making the existing curve less sharp
- Improve access and traffic flow by reconstructing the U.S. Highway 59 interchange
KDOT said it worked with the City of Lawrence on the project. The department said a key focus of the project is to help direct traffic away from local streets and onto K-10.
The project is part of KDOT's 10-year Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program. Federal, state and local funding contributed to the $171 million project, according to a KDOT spokesperson.
Eventually, a north project will reach Interstate 70. Its construction is expected to overlap with the south project, according to KDOT.
"Having a four-lane right there is going to open up traffic, make it flow better," Kellerman said.
Kellerman said the actions of good Samaritans like Hanson are "so important."
"For the most part, on a day like that, we're not going to be the first ones there," he said. "It's going to be some good Samaritan, somebody who stops."
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