Three accidents in three days on Highway 254

(SEDGWICK COUNTY, Kan.) — Three accidents - and three deaths -  in three days.  All within a mile of each other.
    
The most recent happened just before five o'clock Monday afternoon, at the intersection of Webb Road and K-254 north of Wichita.
    
It sent a motorcyclist to the hospital. He and an SUV tried to avoid each other, though right now it's not clear who pulled out in front of who.
    
"Typically the ones that we see are horrendous ones - not any kind of fender benders," said Ron Jones, who commutes the stretch between El Dorado and Wichita daily.
    
"I've seen a few," said 16 year old driver Garet Diel. "Most of them are pretty bad, like, a lot of people get hurt."
    
Theresa Englekin said "(It's) scary, you know?  I don't know exactly what happened, I saw the bike laying there, you know?"
    
Engelkin referred to the latest accident on K-254 - where the motorcyclist was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
    
Less than 18 hours earlier, a car tried to cross K-254 at Webb, and an SUV crashed into it, killing the driver of the car.
    
"I heard a loud pop I looked out I saw both vehicles spinning," said Ron Wescott Saturday. He called 911 at 254 and Greenwich, where two people died.
    
Capt. Jason Runnalls of Butler County Emergency Management Services sees a lot of the accidents. "Just certain intersections we know that's going to be pretty horrific when we respond."

The traffic on Webb road has to come to a complete stop at this stop sign here. The traffic on 254 is going 70 miles an hour, if not more, as it crosses in front of them. So you have 70 miles an hour traffic, and zero mile an hour traffic starting out.
    
So far in 2010, Butler and Sedgwick County Emergency Crews responded to that stretch of K-254 a combined 20 times.  Last year, Sedgwick county responded to three -- total.

But emergency responders say it's up to drivers to stay safe - by keeping their eyes open, and constantly keeping an eye on the road -- and watching what other drivers do.  And that could keep the numers from going any higher.