Minor pronounced dead after N.C. teen’s SUV goes airborne, hits tree in Mankato

MANKATO, Kan. (WIBW) - After an SUV driven by a North Carolina teen went airborne in Mankato and hit a tree, a minor was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead.

The Kansas Highway Patrol Crash Log indicates that just after 11:55 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4, emergency crews were called to 101 N. McRoberts St. - City Park - in Mankato with reports of a fatality crash.

When officials arrived, they said they found a 2011 Toyota 4 Runner driven by Elliott Phillip Whiteside, 18, of Tryon, N.C., had been headed south on McRoberts when, for an unknown reason, it crashed into the ditch. The SUV went airborne for about 20 feet before hitting a tree.

When it crashed into the tree, KHP indicated that the passenger, an unidentified male minor, was ejected. The SUV continued south for a short time, finally landing on its tires.

KHP said that to protect the records of minors, the crash log lists any passenger between the ages of newborn to 17 as age 0.

Officials noted that the juvenile ejected from the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

Meanwhile, KHP indicated that Whiteside was rushed to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita with suspected serious injuries. He was also not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.