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Leavenworth County deputy killed in crash involving school bus

By Elvyn Jones - | Nov 1, 2020

Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office

A Leavenworth County sheriff’s deputy was killed while on duty Friday afternoon when his unmarked vehicle collided with a school bus about 7 miles north of Tonganoxie.

The deputy, 59-year-old Daniel R. Abramovitz of Leavenworth, was driving westbound on McIntyre Road at about 4 p.m. Friday when a northbound school bus failed to yield at McIntyre Road’s intersection with 211th Street, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol’s online accident report. The report says Abramovitz struck the passenger side of the bus, which then overturned and collided with a fence line and a stop sign.

Abramovitz was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the KHP report. The driver of the bus, 62-year-old Cherie L. Williams of Tonganoxie, was taken to a hospital with suspected minor injuries.

A passenger in the bus, Kaleb D. Seifkas, 8, of Leavenworth, also complained of possible injuries, according to the KHP report. In a post on the Tonganoxie school district’s Facebook page on Friday, Tonganoxie Superintendent Loren Feldkamp said emergency medical personal at the scene advised Kaleb’s mother to take him to the hospital for a precautionary examination. He was the only passenger listed on the Highway Patrol’s crash report; it wasn’t clear whether there were any other passengers on the bus.

A post on the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page said Abramovitz was a 26-year veteran of the department and had planned to retire in March 2021. He is survived by a wife and three adult children.

Leavenworth County Undersheriff Jim Sherley said Abramovitz started his career in the jail and eventually became a detective, specializing in cases involving children.

“He was a very kind individual who was always willing to stop what he was doing and assist others,” Sherley said. “He was very much a family man who doted over his children and his wife. He enjoyed working on his farm but always had time to give to the community.”