A Lenexa man faces a felony charge of driving under the influence more than a year after investigators say he caused a crash while driving the wrong way on Interstate 435.
The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office has charged Toure Biggins, 41, with one count of DUI aggravated battery/great harm in connection to the wreck that happened early on the morning of St. Patrick’s Day, March 18, 2023.
Biggins was taken into custody earlier this week and quickly posted $50,000 bond and was released, according to court records.
He has retained a private lawyer. His first court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, April 18, in Johnson County District Court in Olathe.
A wrong-way crash on St. Patrick’s Day 2023
An incident report from the Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash occurred just after 12:20 a.m. on the morning of March 18, 2023, on the westbound side of I-435, just west of I-35.
The report says a vehicle driven by Biggins was traveling eastbound — in the wrong direction — when it struck another vehicle head-on that was going westbound.
The driver of the second vehicle, Sarah Morrison, 33, of Lawrence, sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized, according to the incident report.
Biggins also suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized.
The incident report says investigators took a blood sample of Biggins at the hospital.
That blood sample showed Biggins’ blood alcohol content to be .291, well over the legal limit of 0.08 grams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.
Blood alcohol content is a measure of the concentration of alcohol in a person’s bloodstream. At .291, Kansas State University’s Lafene Health Center says a person would be heavily impaired to the point of possibly losing consciousness.
Morrison says she still has serious health issues
In a statement emailed to the Post, Morrison says her injuries were so severe that investigators initially thought she was dead the night of the crash.
Morrison says she suffered traumatic brain injury, including a contusion and lacerations, a broken leg, a broken ankle, a pulmonary contusion and a severe laceration from the force of her seatbelt cutting into her body.
She spent 30 days in the hospital, undergoing two major surgeries and was unable to walk for 17 weeks. She says she now has permanent brain damage and has been unable to work full-time since the crash.
“After everything I’ve endured over the past year, I am happy to see that charges have finally been filed,” Morrison said in a statement. But she decried the fact that Biggins posted bond soon after being taken into custody.
“I am hopeful that District Attorney Stephen Howe will make this case a top priority to ensure the safety of our community,” she said.
