Boy, 6, women, injured in separate wrecks

Friday, April 30, 2004

By Steve Moyer

Nevada Daily Mail

A 6-year-old boy and two women were injured in accidents this week in Vernon County -- all of them suffering serious injuries.

All the individuals were transported to Nevada Regional Medical Center, the two women were later airlifted to St. John's Medical Center in Joplin.

The boy was injured in an accident at the intersection of Elm and Central streets Tuesday evening when the bike he was riding struck the side of a car driven by Kelly Otter of La Cygnes, Kan.

According to the accident report, Otter told police officer Aaron Kent, the investigating officer, that she was westbound on Central Street when she was struck by something and a small child landed on her hood. Otter stopped and then realized a bicycle had struck her car.

The boy told Kent that he was "going really fast" on his bicycle, which had no brakes. The boy further stated that he noticed the car and attempted to stop by dragging his foot, but that proved ineffective and he hit the car.

The boy was listed as having disabling injuries.

The two women were involved in an accident Wednesday on U.S. 54, 13 miles east of Nevada. Lisa Nikodim, 43, El Dorado Springs, and Shanon Short, 31, Carterville, were both transported to Nevada Regional Medical Center and then airlifted to St. John's Medical Center in Joplin.

According to the report filed by police Cpl. Mark Mason, the eastbound 1992 Ford driven by Nikodim swerved into the westbound lane and struck the Mazda pickup driven by Short. Nikodim's pickup caught fire after the impact and Short's pickup overturned.

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