‘Shook to the core’: 2nd Kansas City worker dies after fiery garbage truck crash on I-435
A second Kansas City Public Works employee has died from a fiery crash that occurred after a garbage truck overturned while carrying three city workers on Interstate 435 late Tuesday morning.
Kansas City police said Tuesday night that the second employee had died of injuries resulting from the crash around 6 p.m. Another was pronounced dead at the crash scene. And a third city worker was still recovering from serious injuries in an area hospital.
Police said the truck was at the base of the Front Street exit ramp to I-435 when it flipped over, striking the concrete barrier between eastbound and westbound Front Street. It then caught fire, and thick black smoke could be scene coming from the wreck from the distance.
Police have thus far determined that the driver lost control of the truck. All three crew members were inside the truck when the fire started. A Kansas City police officer who happened to be passing by helped one of the crew members escape the wreck.
City officials called a press conference earlier Tuesday to address the fatalities. Among those speaking was Public Works Director Michael Shaw, who said the fatal accident marked the first he’s seen in Kansas City after 23 years on the job.
“We’re shook to the core,” Shaw said. “We try to do our jobs and try do it in a way which we can make Kansas City proud. We try to do it in a way in which we provide value back to our community. And these guys worked very hard.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas issued a statement Tuesday night saying he was deeply saddened to learn of yet another death stemming from the crash.
“My heart breaks for his family, his friends, and our entire Kansas City Public Works Department,” the mayor said on Twitter. “My prayers are with the families and all impacted today.”
The crash forced the Missouri Department of Transportation to close the northbound lanes of the heavily traveled I-435 highway for a while. Traffic was being forced to exit at the Winner Road exit. Drivers were being urged to avoid the area.
The northbound lanes of I-435 reopened about 1:45 p.m. The exit to Front street remained closed while the crash was being investigated.
The Star’s Robert A. Cronkleton contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 9:31 PM.
