Pedestrian found in rubble after Westport fire truck crash; death toll rises to 3
Update: Moments before the crash that killed three people in Westport, the Kansas City fire truck was told to “stand down.” Read that story here.
Rescuers found the body of a pedestrian Thursday morning who was buried in the rubble of a partially collapsed building in the Westport Entertainment District.
The discovery of the woman’s body marked the third death in the collision Wednesday night between a Kansas City fire truck and an SUV.
Earlier, a man and a woman were found dead inside the Honda SUV when the car and the fire truck were pulled from the building using a winch, said Capt. Leslie Foreman, a spokesperson for the Kansas City Police Department.
Broadway remained closed between 40th Street and Westport Road because the danger posed by the building, which has been deemed unsafe, she said. The crash caused extensive damage to the building, making it unstable.
The crash occurred shortly before 10:30 p.m. Wednesday as the fire truck headed north on Broadway on an emergency call. Its lights and siren were activated, Foreman said.
The Honda SUV was headed west on Westport Road when the two vehicles collided. The force of the crash redirected both vehicles to the northwest, where they struck a pedestrian on the sidewalk before slamming into the building at 4048 Broadway, police said.
A large number of emergency vehicles descended upon the scene of the crash. Many remained at the scene overnight as police blocked off several streets surrounding the district. Firefighters could be seen going through the rubble. No firefighters were injured in the crash.
Hours later, rescuers recovered the body of the female pedestrian who was found under the debris from the partially collapsed building, she said.
Heavy damage occurred at the part of the building once home to the Riot Room, a bar and music venue that only recently closed its doors. The building currently houses office spaces, though police believe it was unoccupied at the time of the crash.
On Thursday morning, the fire department released a written statement about the crash.
“Our hearts, prayers, and thoughts are with the families, friends and loved ones of everyone involved,” the statement read.
“As first responders, we are entrusted to respond to incidents and help people, and we are heartbroken by last night’s tragic collision. KCFD is cooperating fully with the police investigation and will defer to KCPD for information about that investigation.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 9:28 AM.
