19-year-old Hays woman killed in crash on I-70 near Junction City

Those close to Ashlen Lemon say they will never forget the impact she made on their lives.

The 19-year-old was killed Tuesday afternoon in a crash. She was driving back to Hays after visiting her boyfriend in Kansas City.

She hit a patch of ice, lost control and struck a guard rail on I-70 outside Junction City in Geary County.

Trooper Ben Gardner was one of several people who saw Lemon's wrecked vehicle in the median on I-70. When he arrived on scene, he put out a tearful plea to Kansas drivers asking them to be careful on the roads.

"When you are delivering an emotional message that's real like that, people hear it better and they really internalize should they or shouldn't they be driving," he said.

We spoke to Lemon's boyfriend, Nelson Kawano. He said he wasn't read to go on camera, but he did release a statement.

"She's the best thing that ever happened to me...I miss her laugh, her smile, her smell, her touch, the way she supported me, I miss everything about her. She made me a better person. She completed me. Maybe one day I'll love again, but she will always have a piece of me that nobody will ever have."

Gardner says when it comes to young drivers, the best way to keep tragic accidents from happening is by having a coversation.

"I guess what I hope would take place is that parents and adults have a good strong discussion with their new drivers about the hazards of being on the road way and that it takes certain skills and good choice making to decide if they should be driving and how they should be driving that vehicle."

Lemon was wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash.

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The Kansas Highway Patrol says a 19-year-old Hays woman died from her injuries in a Tuesday afternoon crash on Interstate 70 about two miles west of Junction City in Geary County.

The KHP says a little after noon Tuesday, a 2005 Chevy Malibu driven by Ashlen Leigh Lemon, of Hays, entered the median and struck a guardrail. Troopers say Lemon lost control of her vehicle due to icy conditions on the road.

The KHP says Lemon died from her injuries at a nearby hospital.