Man thrown from truck in I-435 crash. KC driver is now charged with manslaughter
A Kansas City man accused of throwing a victim from a pickup truck while swerving on Interstate 435 this week has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office announced in a news release.
Skylar K. Waddell, 20, is also charged with leaving the scene of an accident in connection to the Nov. 13 incident that left 48-year-old Steven W. Norris dead.
It happened around 1 p.m. on I-435 near Oldham Road.
Norris’ wife told Kansas City police her husband called her that afternoon and told her his Ford F-150 pickup truck had a flat tire. He asked her to come pick him up from the shoulder of the interstate so he could gather some tools at home to change the tire.
After grabbing the tools and returning to the scene, Norris’ wife said the couple observed a man standing near Norris’ truck. She told police it appeared the man was trying to take some items from her husband’s truck, court records said. As her husband approached his truck, the man fled and got into a Dodge Ram pickup truck that was parked nearby.
Norris ran up to the driver’s side door of the Dodge. The Dodge truck took off and swerved into the interstate but Norris clung on to the bed rail of the truck. Norris’ wife said the Dodge appeared to be trying to throw her husband off the vehicle.
Another driver who witnessed the incident said the Dodge changed lanes multiple times and was making erratic turns while the victim held onto the side of the truck.
The truck swerved into the median, struck the cable barrier wires and crashed, court records said. Norris fell off the truck and landed in the southbound lanes of the interstate.
The driver of the Dodge, later identified by witnesses as Waddell, got out of the vehicle and fled on foot, court records said.
Police later took Waddell into custody at a south Kansas City home. He declined to talk to police in an interview but reportedly stated he didn’t mean to do any harm.
Waddell’s girlfriend told police the Dodge truck belonged to her, and on the day of the incident, Waddell came home and allegedly told her he was trying to get into a truck he found on the side of the road but panicked after he saw a man running after him, drove off in the Dodge and crashed.
Police said a computer check of Waddell showed that his license was suspended.
An attorney for Waddell has not yet been listed in public records.
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 4:43 PM.
