- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
MAYETTA, Kan. — Rachael McCoy, 29, an employee of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation’s transportation department, passed away on Wednesday from injuries sustained in a two-vehicle accident that occurred on Tuesday morning.
Early last Tuesday morning, McCoy, who was driving a pickup truck with her two children, was hit by automobile at the intersection of Highway 75 & 158th Road in Mayetta, Kan. near the tribal headquarters.
McCoy, her two children and the driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash were injured.
Potawatomi Tribal Fire personnel initially found multiple critically injured patients being attended by PBPN administrative and Health Center employees, along with two employees from Stormont Vail and one Washburn University nursing student.
“We are deeply saddened by this loss of life and the impact it will have on her family and our community,” Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Tribal Chairman Joseph Rupnick said. “And we are also grateful for the support of all who were directly involved in assisting during this critical incident.”
Tribal fire ambulances transported three critically injured patients from the crash scene to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka.
Assisting at the scene of the accident were the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police Department and dispatchers, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, the Kansas Highway Patrol.
McCoy was employed as a lead driver/supervisor at the Prairie Band Potawatomi Transportation Department. She is survived by her husband Justin McCoy, daughter Delilah, 10, and son Wyatt, 7.
More Stories Like This
House Passes Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Deal; How Native American Members of Congress VotedHistory Made as First Navajo Appointed U.S. Federal Judge in California
California Bill Aims to Increase State Funding for Tribal Housing
Navajo Nation Leaders Recognized the Fallen on Memorial Day
This Day in History — May 28, 1830, Andrew Jackson Signs Indian Removal Act
Native News is free to read.
We hope you enjoyed the story you've just read. For the past dozen years, we’ve covered the most important news stories that are usually overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the rise of the American Indian Movement (AIM), to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous People (MMIP) and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps. Most readers donate between $10 and $25 to help us cover the costs of salaries, travel and maintaining our digital platforms. If you’re in a position to do so, we ask you to consider making a recurring donation of $12 per month to join the Founder's Circle. All donations help us remain a force for change in Indian Country and tell the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
