MoDOT to blame for standing water and crash on I-49, KC-area family says in lawsuit

A Belton couple has filed a lawsuit against the state’s transportation department after their vehicle hydroplaned while driving during a rainstorm on Interstate 49 in Grandview, severely injuring them, according to court records.

Plaintiffs Pankaj Patel, 47, and Pragna Patel, 43, filed the lawsuit on June 10 in Jackson County Circuit Court against the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT).

The lawsuit argues the transportation department failed to maintain drainage systems along the highway, which created a pool of water, around three inches deep, across multiple lanes causing a multi-car collision.

The incident led to the plaintiffs’ suffering severe injuries, including bladder malfunctions, pelvis fractures, and ongoing medical treatment and rehabilitation, according to the lawsuit.

“The standing water was caused by MoDOT’s failure to properly maintain drainage systems along I-49, as confirmed by emergency personnel who cleared the blockage after the crash,” the lawsuit says.

“MoDOT knew or should have knew about the blocked drainage system and its potential to create hazardous conditions during rainfall, but failed to take timely corrective action.”

On December 2, Zalak Patel, 22, was driving southbound on I-49 just south of Blue Ridge Boulevard with Pankaj and Pragna when, because of the heavy rainfall, she lost sight of the road, according to the Grandview Police Department.

Grandview police reported the driver told officers their windshield was completely covered in sheets of water.

The vehicle also began sliding out of control, the airbags deployed, and the driver wasn’t sure what they had collided with because of the amount of water, according to the responding officers’ report.

Report notes water on I-49

In his report, Grandview Police Officer Michael Bridges wrote that the Patels’ car hydroplaned southbound on the highway until striking the center concrete median head-on. The Patels were also struck by a second car involved in the multi-car collision, his report says.

“Grandview Fire Personnel were able to use their pumper truck to clear out the clogged drain that caused the water to collect and pool across multiple lanes of I-49,” Bridges wrote.

The lawsuit argues MoDOT was negligent and created an unreasonably dangerous condition on I-49 that caused the plaintiff’s injuries. The lawsuit also argues that MoDOT failed to maintain public roadways in a reasonably safe condition for motorists traveling on the roadways.

In addition to negligence, the defendants should be held liable for failing to remedy the blocked drainage system ahead of the plaintiff’s collision, the lawsuit says.

Since the incident, the plaintiffs have incurred substantial medical expenses, suffered permanent physical impairments, and severe physical pain and emotional distress, the lawsuit says.

The plaintiffs’ lawyer, Chuck Chionuma, said his office contacted the transportation department, but the state “denied any responsibility, which is why we’re suing.”

“People should be able to travel on the highway without running into this kind of danger,” Chionuma said.

Reached by email, Missouri Department of Transportation Assistant Communications Director Taylor Brune declined to comment, citing pending litigation.

This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 2:57 PM.