Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Kansas Highway Patrol is attributing a second fatal accident to the latest winter storm.

The patrol says 28-year-old Kirstin R. Nelson of Ellis died Monday in an accident on Interstate 70 in Ellis County eight miles west of Hays. The patrol says she was a passenger in a car driven by her husband, 31-year-old Eric J. Nelson. The truck slid on the icy road and rolled.

Eric Nelson, the couple's 5-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old passenger were injured. They were taken to area hospitals but the extent of their injuries was not available.

“This has been a deadly winter storm,” said Governor Sam Brownback. “Unfortunately, we lost a second life overnight because of slick roads.”

The first fatality occurred Monday morning on Interstate 70 in Sherman County. A vehicle driven by 21-year-old Carlos Esqueda of Kansas City, Kan., hit an icy patch and rolled, ejecting Esqueda. A passenger was injured.

A winter storm system pushing its way across the state since Sunday night left behind more than a half foot of snow in parts of the state overnight. As snow continued in western and central Kansas and moved through into the eastern portion of the state, highways were snow packed and icy, making travel treacherous.

“We urge everyone to avoid travel and be extremely cautious if you must be on the roads,” said Col. Ernest Garcia, superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol.

The Associated Press contributed to this report