A female student sustained critical injuries after falling 70 feet from a bridge to avoid an incoming vehicle Friday night, according to KSN. The accident, which occurred on Kansas Highway 18 near Ogden, was part of a four-vehicle crash.

The student, Kyra Kinnison, junior in animal science, was on her way to Salina with her boyfriend when the accident occurred, according to a close friend of Kinnison who spoke with the two after the accident. The friend said the pair were traveling in separate vehicles when a pallet of insulation fell from a large truck, causing her boyfriend to swerve to avoid debris. 

After his vehicle came to a stop, another struck its side, prompting Kinnison to pull off the highway and exit her vehicle. 

Upon exiting, an additional approaching vehicle began swerving to avoid debris from the crash, causing Kinnison to jump backwards. Kinnison miscalculated her jump and fell from the bridge near the East Riley Avenue off-ramp, striking a tree on the way to the ground. 

After the fall, the Riley County Fire Department rescued Kinnison. She was transported to Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan and later flown to Stormont Vail Health Hospital in Topeka. 

Sara Celeen, senior in dairy science, is another close friend of Kinnison and created a GoFundMe page to raise money for her medical treatment. According to the page, Kinnison sustained fractures to her pelvis and back, but is recovering. 

Kinnison’s friend who visited her after the accident said she was frightened upon hearing the news, but was relieved when she saw that Kinnison was lucid and her condition was improving.

“She’s always been a very brave person,” the friend said. “I’ve always known her to be very smart, and I think she cares about her people a lot, and I really admire that about her.”