Hit-and-run victim dies when her disabled car was struck in second crash on KC highway
A 56-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, woman who was on the phone letting family know she had been involved in a hit-and-run crash died Friday morning when another vehicle struck her disabled car on Interstate 435 in Platte County, a spokesman for the Platte County Sheriff’s Department said.
Because of the location of the crashes, northbound I-435 was shut down for several hours at the exit to Wolcott Drive/North Kansas 5 highway in Kansas City, Kansas, while the Platte County Sheriff’s Department investigated. The highway was reopened about 10:15 a.m.
According to a preliminary investigation, the woman initially was involved in a crash with another vehicle shortly before 6:30 a.m. about a mile south of Missouri 45 highway, said Capt. Jeffrey Shanks with the Platte County Sheriff’s Department.
The crash left the woman’s vehicle disabled in the right lane of the highway. Although the other driver remained on the scene initially, the person drove away before information could be exchanged and before deputies arrived, Shanks said.
At some point, the victim got out of her vehicle and called family to tell them that she had been involved in a hit and run crash. A third vehicle then collided with her car which then struck the victim, Shanks said.
The driver of the third car remained at the scene and was cooperating with the investigation, Shanks said.
It had been raining off-and-on at the time of the initial crash. The highway in that area had recently been resurfaced, so road conditions were in good shape, although wet, Shanks said.
Deputies are gathering more information on the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run as well as trying to identify the hit-and-run driver. Shanks encouraged the driver to surrender to turn themself in, saying, “it is the right thing for them to do.”
It was unknown how much damage the hit-and-run vehicle sustained in the crash because the victim’s car was significantly damaged in the second one.
This story was originally published December 22, 2023 at 9:18 AM.
