Woman dies when wrong-way driver crashes into car on KC area highway Christmas Eve
Update: Police later identified the victim as 38-year-old Noora Al Mafraji.
A wrong-way driver on U.S. 71 Highway struck another vehicle, killing one of its passengers early Christmas Eve morning, Grandview police said.
Around 3:30 a.m., the Kansas City Police Department notified Grandview police that a 2021 Ford Flex was driving south in the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 71/Interstate 49, headed toward Grandview.
Officers tried to get the attention of the driver and alert other northbound cars of the danger, Grandview police said. But before they could, the car crashed into a northbound 2013 Ford Taurus.
A woman who was a passenger in the Taurus died at the scene. The driver of the Taurus sustained minor injuries.
The driver of the Flex was hospitalized with “serious injuries,” Grandview police said.
The Grandview Police Department Specialized Enforcement Unit is investigating the crash. Alcohol is believed to have been a contributing factor.
This story was originally published December 24, 2023 at 12:49 PM.
