Youth injured Wednesday in wreck

A single-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 54 Wednesday morning sent a 17-year-old Fort Scott youth to the hospital.

At 7:45 a.m., Trent Ramsey was driving east on U.S. 54 approximately 3 miles west of Fort Scott when the vehicle drifted across the center line and into the westbound lane, according to Kansas Highway Patrol. It's unknown at this point what caused him to veer off the road.

Ray Coon, owner of the Fence Factory at 2003 Highway 54, said he witnessed the entire accident. As Coon looked out the window of his business, he said, saw Ramsey's truck veer off the highway, launch through the air and strike his residential drive.

The 2001 Ram truck rolled numerous times and took out about 100 feet of Coon's 4-foot-high customized ranch-style fencing. He just missed Coon's farm pond near the business.

"I lost track of how many times it flipped," Coon said.

The violent accident ejected Ramsey from the driver's side window before the vehicle finally came to rest on its top.

Coon said he rushed to the scene and checked on Ramsey, who he said wasn't conscious at the time.

"I thought he was dead," Coon said.

Ramsey later came to consciousness when first-responders arrived at the scene, Coon said. He was transported to Mercy Health Center and treated for unspecified injuries.

Coon said his fence gets run through by vehicles every year. The particular stretch of road is straight, which experts say may lead to wrecks because drivers tend to not pay attention to the road.