A fatal accident occurred at around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 10 when a vehicle crashed through a wall of Asbury Park Assisted Living Center.
Wanda Dyck, an 82-year-old resident of Asbury Park, was buried in debris that collapsed in her room. Dyck was taken to a Wichita hospital where she died at around 1:30 p.m. Jan. 11 from injuries sustained in the accident. Linda Pinkston, 58, was driving the vehicle that crashed through the home. Pinkston was transported by EMS to Newton Medical Center. She is expected to survive, Newton Police Lt. Scott Powell said.
Pinkston was driving a 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue westbound on southwest 14th Street when she missed a north turn into Asbury Park, jumped over a curve and hit a small tree. It is believed she hit the gas instead of the brake and went down an embankment, over the ice in the pond, then back up the embankment and crashed into the building, destroying the wall and causing the roof of the room to collapse, Powell said.
Asbury Park staff evacuated the other residents. No other residents were injured and no other rooms were damaged. Other residents were not displaced, Powell said.
Blood was drawn from Pinkston at NMS to be tested by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for toxicology. Those results might not be back for months, Powell said. It has not been determined whether any charges will be filed and the accident is still under investigation.
