Teens identified as passengers killed in crash that closed I-435 in south Kansas City
Two teens were identified as the passengers killed Friday morning in a multi-vehicle, pre-rush hour crash along eastbound Interstate 435 in south Kansas City, a police spokesman said.
The victims were identified as 17-year-old Muneer Henderson and 19-year-old Orlando Ward, said Capt. Jake Becchina with the Kansas City Police Department.
The crash near the Three Trails Crossings, formerly the Grandview Triangle, closed all lanes of eastbound I-435 at Holmes Road for nearly four hours as police investigated.
A preliminary investigation revealed that Henderson and Ward were passengers in a red Nissan Versa. Henderson was in the front seat, and Ward was in the back.
The Nissan stopped in the middle lane of eastbound I-435 near 103rd Street. A white Kansas City Fire Department Ford Explorer headed east in the same lane rear-ended the Nissan, Becchina said. As the vehicles came to rest, a white Freightliner semitractor-trailer struck the Nissan.
Ward was pronounced dead at the scene. Muneer was taken to a hospital, where he later died. The drivers of the Nissan and the Kansas City Fire Department Ford Explorer were taken to the hospital, both with serious injuries. The semi driver was not injured, police said.
The teens’ deaths were the 22nd and 23rd traffic fatalities this year in Kansas City. That compares to 12 by this time last year.
The investigation into the crash continues.
