By Jordan Green, Editor-in-Chief
Four Northwestern softball players were involved in a four-car collision Monday afternoon, but that didn’t stop the rest of the team from playing a scrimmage Tuesday — with their missing teammates in their hearts.
“They’re resilient,” Coach Casady Webb said. “They want to play for each other.”
Police officers and firefighters responded to a collision at Hart Street and College Boulevard at 4:47 p.m. Monday, according to Woods County emergency dispatch records. No official accident report had been released as of press time.
Softball players Ariana Potter, Cozee Clark, Jaci Oakley and Tatum Winters were driving to softball practice after unloading pumpkins at a pumpkin patch for a community service project.
Two vehicles were preparing to turn left off College Boulevard and onto Hart Street when another vehicle topped the hill and rear-ended the two vehicles. The impact forced the first vehicle into an opposing traffic lane, and a truck struck the vehicle, said Northwestern baseball player Kyle Gscheidle, who lives at the nearby Aspen Apartments and witnessed the collision.
“I was walking into my apartment, and I just took a glimpse over at the road,” he said. “Once the middle car hit that [first] car, it kind of shot out into oncoming traffic and then got hit by the truck that was passing by. It was like pinball, but in a bad way.”
Airbags deployed in at least some of the vehicles involved, but players were able to exit their vehicles. College Boulevard was narrowed to one lane while first responders cleared debris and tow trucks removed disabled vehicles.
None of the players involved were taken to the hospital, but they will be off the field until they pass a concussion screening test, likely toward the end of next week, Webb said.
“Their health and safety always comes first, no matter what, game day or not,” Webb said. “I’m just glad everybody is safe and OK. … God definitely was watching over them yesterday.”
Softball practice was canceled Monday night. The next day, though, team members not involved in the wreck were on the field to play against the Cowley County Community College Tigers.
Donning their red and black uniforms, the Lady Rangers were warming up for their scrimmage at the Alva Recreation Complex shortly before 2 p.m. Their energy levels were high. So was their optimism about the situation.
“I hate that [the wreck] happened, but more people are going to get opportunities today,” Webb said. “There were a couple starters in there. I know they’re happy that their teammates are going to get some opportunities today, too.
“We’re out here for them. We’re playing for them. It kind of is a reminder of how valuable life can be, to not take the game for granted.”