Motorcyclist dies in Interstate 435 wreck involving a Missouri highway maintenance truck

A motorcyclist died about 10 a.m. Tuesday after a three-wheeled motorcycle collided with a Missouri highway maintenance truck in the northbound lanes of Interstate 435 near Front Street.

The Missouri Department of Transportation truck was part of a mowing operation, said Markl Johnson, an area agency spokesman. The truck was on the interstate’s left shoulder, slowly following mowers working in the median, he said.

The truck was equipped with an impact attenuator, a device that helps absorb the shock of rear crashes.

There were three MoDOT trucks in the mowing operation, said Sgt. Deb Randol, a Kansas City police accident investigator.

Witnesses said the motorcyclist was in the far left northbound lane as the cycle approached the first truck. The motorcyclist switched to the middle lane to give the first truck a berth and switched back to the far left lane, then repeated the maneuver for the second truck. For unknown reasons, the motorcyclist did not move into the middle lane upon reaching the third truck, Randol said.

The motorcycle struck the third truck.

MoDOT routinely conducts campaigns reminding drivers to be careful when encountering highway maintenance crews. The department recently has been equipping its impact attenuators with additional lights, making them more visible to drivers, Johnson said.

Emergency workers cleared the accident about noon.

This story was originally published June 23, 2015 at 1:30 PM with the headline "Motorcyclist dies in Interstate 435 wreck involving a Missouri highway maintenance truck."