Garden City Telegram Article

Dighton woman dies after being struck by trailer
Published 1/11/2011 in Local News : Area coverage

By JEROME P. CURRY

jcurry@gctelegram.com


A Dighton woman was fatally injured just after dark on Sunday when she was hit by a trailer being pulled by a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado three miles east of Dighton, just off Kansas Route 96, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Beverly Whipple, 67, of Dighton was taken to Lane County Hospital and then transferred to Hays Medical Center, where she died at 10:25 p.m. Sunday.

Trooper Ron Knoefel noted the accident occurred at 6 p.m. Sunday. He said visibility was poor. Freezing rain and light snow had just started to fall.

Whipple's husband, Randy Whipple, 57, was the driver of the pickup. The couple, Knoefel said, had been in a field. When they drove through the field gate in Lane County just off Route 96, Beverly Whipple got out of the pickup to shut the gate.

According to the KHP report, as the pickup and trailer were attempting to clear the gate, Beverly Whipple fell to the ground for an unknown reason and was run over by the nearly 30-foot-long trailer. She may have slipped and fallen, Knoefel said.

"It is impossible to tell exactly what happened," Knoefel said. "Mrs. Whipple wound up on the ground, and the trailer ran over her."

The trooper said the investigation into the accident is complete.

Exactly why and how Beverly Whipple "ended up on the ground" where the trailer hit her may never be known for sure, he said.

"It was cold and dark. The ground was slick," Knoefel said. "Many farm accidents occur in the cold."


This article was published in the Garden City Telegram yesterday, January 11th, 2011.

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