One dead after Wednesday traffic crash on eastbound Interstate 670
.jpg "Police lights")
Kansas City emergency crews responded to a traffic crash on Interstate 670 Wednesday where at least one person died.
The crash occurred on eastbound I-670 at Beardsley Road, according to a news release from Capt. Jake Becchina, a spokesperson with the Kansas City Police Department. A preliminary investigation showed that a semi-truck was traveling east on I-670 when it stopped due to traffic. A black Ford Explorer also traveling east struck the rear of the stopped semi-truck’s trailer, according to police.
Police said the unrestrained front seat passenger of the Ford was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two passengers were transported “for evaluation of injuries,” according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins, of the Kansas City Fire Department. That included the driver of the Ford, who police said had serious injuries but was in stable condition, along with the juvenile rear seat passenger of the Ford, who had non-life-threatening injuries.
“The accident involved an SUV into the back of a semi,” Hopkins confirmed in a separate news release.
The truck driver refused medical treatment at the scene, police said.
According to police, this is the 20th traffic fatality of the year, compared to 18 at this time last year. The police investigation is ongoing.
All lanes of eastbound I-670 were closed to traffic at Genesee for approximately 3 hours. The highway has since been reopened.
This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 5:45 PM.
