One dead after van plunges into icy Brush Creek in KC, prompting search and rescue: Police
The driver and lone occupant of a minivan that plunged into Kansas City’s Brush Creek on Thursday afternoon died in the hospital after being pulled from the submerged vehicle by search and rescue divers, authorities said.
Kansas City firefighters arrived at the crash site near the intersection of The Paseo and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard around 2:20 p.m. The minivan was under water for an unknown length of time before first responders arrived on scene, said Jason Spreitzer, a department spokesman.
About 25 minutes after call, the crash victim was on the way to hospital by ambulance, Spreitzer said. The victim was pronounced dead there by medical staff, according to police.
After the driver was pulled from the underwater wreck, divers continued to search the area for anyone else who might have been inside the van at the time of the crash.
Crews took five- to 10-minute shifts as rescuers faced subzero temperatures amid Thursday’s winter storm, which brought roughly two inches of snow and high winds, creating hazardous road conditions for drivers. Police confirmed Thursday night that no one else was inside the minivan at the time.
Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman for Kansas City police, said in a statement Thursday that the driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle on icy roads while traveling south on The Paseo.
Crash scene investigators suspect the driver of the red Dodge Caravan may have been attempting a right-hand turn onto MLK Boulevard but instead traveled off the north side of the roadway.
After the minivan went down an embankment, it continued over a concrete retaining wall and landed upside down in the creek, according to police.
Kansas City police continued to investigate the crash Thursday night.
This story was originally published December 22, 2022 at 4:34 PM.