2 dead, 2 hurt after Porsche tried to pass slow traffic, Independence police say
Update: Police on Thursday identified the victims as Christina Pappas, 41, of Kansas City, and Martin Withers, 32, of Kansas City.
Two Kansas City residents were killed and two others were seriously injured after a head-on crash involving one driver who purposefully crossed into oncoming traffic at a high rate of speed, the Independence Police Department said Tuesday.
Around 3:45 p.m., police responded to a crash between a gold Porsche and a silver Toyota near the intersection of U.S. Highway 40 and Denton Road. Each car was carrying a driver and passenger.
Police say the driver of the Porsche was headed eastbound on U.S. Highway 40 and crossed over into oncoming traffic to pass slower vehicles. The Porsche struck the Toyota in a head-on crash near Denton Road, police said.
All four were taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said. Police say the driver of the Porsche, later identified as 32-year-old Martin Withers, of Kansas City, and the passenger of the Toyota, 41-year-old Christina Pappas, of Kansas City, died there.
The Independence Police Department is investigating the crash.
This story was originally published May 18, 2021 at 6:40 PM.
