Woman rushing to catch bus struck by car and killed on Paseo in Kansas City

A 39-year-old woman walking across the street to catch a Ride KC bus died Tuesday morning when she was struck by a vehicle in Kansas City, police said.

The woman was hit about 7:05 a.m. near East 41st Street and the Paseo. The incident happened on the street between two apartment buildings, one of which is occupied by elderly residents. The woman died at the scene.

Two vehicles were traveling south on the Paseo when the woman tried to cross the middle of the street to catch the bus. She may have seen the first of the two vehicles but not the second one, said Sgt. Deb Randol, with the police accident investigation unit.

The victim’s name has not been released. It appeared that speed was not a factor in the accident.

“She just got out in the front of the road and was struck,” Randol said.

One of the drivers was taken to the hospital after suffering an asthma attack.

The woman is the third pedestrian who has died after being struck by a vehicle in recent days in the metro area.

On Monday, a man died after he was hit by a tractor-trailer while crossing southbound Interstate 29 in Kansas City, North. The man was thought to have climbed through a chain-link fence to cross over the highway and was struck.

A driver involved in a collision early Saturday was killed when he got out of his pickup and was struck by an unknown vehicle that fled the scene at Interstate 435 near Front Street in Kansas City.

On Tuesday, police closed the Paseo to traffic between 41st and East 42nd Street while they investigated the fatal incident.

Randol said pedestrians should use the crosswalk and not attempt to cross in the middle of the block.

“All of the drivers know that pedestrians are supposed to cross at the crosswalk and are probably more attentive at that time versus when they are driving in the middle of the block, and they don’t see people running out in front of them,” she said.

This story was originally published May 9, 2017 at 7:58 AM with the headline "Woman rushing to catch bus struck by car and killed on Paseo in Kansas City."