Single vehicle accident near Drexel leaves two teens with serious injuries

By SHARON KIESEL & STACY RICE

Energy levels and pumped up enthusiasm were evident wherever you turned to look in Drexel last Saturday morning. Drexel High School was the site of the WEMO Conference Volleyball Tournament. The football team was sitting down together enjoying a breakfast, preparing to meet up with the Gyphons of University Charter Academy later that afternoon for the first Class 1 District 8 game. Word traveled of an 11 o’clock cheering “send-off” for the boys’ bus at the curve north of town. Game time was to be 2 o’clock.

Then it happened. The call came in that two of the football players had been in a horrific crash east of town. It was 10 o’clock. The two teens, Trevor L. Cooley and Christopher D. Moles, both 16, were occupants of a 2005 Chevrolet Corvette when the vehicle ran off the north side of the roadway. The accident happened on Route A, two miles east of Drexel. Heading east toward Archie, the driver overcorrected causing the vehicle to slide sideways across the roadway. The vehicle crossed the center line then ran off the north side of the roadway and overturned several times striking a highway sign and a fence before coming to rest on its top in a field. Both teens were ejected from the car.

Cooley received critical injuries and was transported to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City by Life Flight air ambulance. Moles also received critical injuries and was transported to Research Medical Center in Kansas City by Life Flight air ambulance.

Soon after hearing of the accident, prayer chains were created. The Drexel Bobcats took the football field at 6 o’clock, just hours after their teammates were seriously injured. The fell to the Gyphons, 48-28.

As of late day Tuesday, Trevor is stable and improving greatly. Chris is still being treated in ICU at Research Medical Center but continues to show signs of improvement. He is in stable condition. Both teens endured multiple traumatic injuries.

The accident was investigated by Cass County State Troopers Cpl. J.E. Thuss and Cpl. D.W. Campbell. The investigation is ongoing.

photo by Bates County Live