Kansas State student jumps from bridge, falls 70 feet to avoid swerving car
By Kyra Case
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RILEY COUNTY, Kansas (KAKE) — A Kansas State University student suffered critical injuries after jumping from a bridge Friday night in an attempt to avoid being struck by a swerving vehicle in Riley County.
According to the Riley County Police Department, emergency responders were dispatched at 8:44 p.m. to a multi-vehicle crash on Highway K-18 near the East Riley Avenue off-ramp in Ogden. A total of four vehicles were involved in the crash.
Upon arrival, witnesses reported that a woman standing on the shoulder jumped from the bridge to avoid being hit by a vehicle swerving to avoid debris. She fell approximately 70 feet and sustained “major injuries.”
The nearby Union Pacific Railroad line was briefly closed while crews searched for the woman.
EMS and fire searched for the patient and provided aid before the Manhattan Fire Department was called in to assist, using high-angle rescue equipment to lift the woman from the area below the bridge, police wrote.
She was transported to a local hospital before being transported to Topeka in critical condition for additional treatment. No other injuries were reported.
“Manhattan Fire Department is grateful for the coordinated response by all agencies involved,” MFD Battalion Chief Keith Habbart said. “The quick thinking, teamwork, and professionalism shown by responders helped ensure the patient could be rescued and transported for further care.”
A GoFundMe identified the woman as Kyra Kinnison, a junior at K-State. A friend said Kyra suffered multiple fractures, “but luckily there are no other injuries and she is recovering.”
“She fell approximately 70 feet and sustained fractures to her pelvis and back,” the GoFundMe says. “She is currently being hospitalized but she is going to be okay!”
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