Retired Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department battalion chief dies after I-35 crash
A retired Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department battalion chief has died after he was struck by a motorist on Interstate 35 last week while trying to remove debris from the roadway.
David Pittaway, 66, was taken to a hospital on Friday afternoon after he was hit by a car traveling in the southbound lane of I-35 roughly half a mile north of 18th Street Expressway, according to a crash report from the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Witnesses told investigators Pittaway tried to dodge the car by moving to another lane. The car changed lanes at the same time before striking him, the report said.
The driver remained on the scene and the car was towed away. No other injuries were reported.
On Wednesday, the fire department shared a message on Facebook saying Pittaway had died four days later while surrounded by family. He worked for the department for 31 years and enjoyed volunteering for a number of area charities in his retirement, the department said.
In the fire department’s post, Mayor David Alvey remembered Pittaway as someone “always willing to lend a hand.”
“It was a blessing to know him and we share in the grief and prayers of his family and friends,” the mayor said.
