Alcohol suspected in deadly, wrong-way crash that closed I-70 for hours in Independence
A 26-year-old Lenexa man is considered a suspect in the fatal, wrong-way crash on Interstate 70 in Independence that shut down the highway for hours early Tuesday, a police spokesman said.
The suspect, who was driving a Toyota Camry, was headed east in the westbound lanes of I-70 when he crashed into oncoming traffic near near U.S. 40 highway and Blue Ridge Boulevard, authorities said.
Investigators are listing alcohol as a factor in the crash, said Sgt. Jeff Buck with the Independence Police Department’s traffic safety unit. The investigation remains open, and no decision has been made as to what, if any, charges should be filed.
A preliminary investigation revealed the suspect crashed into an oncoming Kia Optima driven by 64-year-old Ricky Monroe of Blue Springs, Buck said. Monroe was killed in the crash.
After striking the Optima, the Camry continued east and collided with a semi-truck, Buck said. A Honda Accord then crashed with the Camry before traffic on the highway came to a stop.
The surviving drivers were injured in the crash, with two of them taken to hospitals for treatment of serious injuries, Buck said.
It’s unknown how fast the suspect was driving at the time of the crash or how long he had been driving the wrong way, Buck said.
Although investigators have yet to determine where the driver entered the highway in the wrong direction, Buck said dispatchers had received reports of a wrong-way driver within seconds of the crash being reported.
“We rarely have wrong-way drivers on Interstate 70,” Buck said, adding it is more common on U.S. 40 highway near the Little Blue River and Blue Springs area.
The crash closed down westbound westbound Interstate 70 at Noland Road for hours before it was fully reopened shortly before 8 a.m., Buck said.
“Please use an alternate route,” Independence police urged in a Facebook post as drivers headed out on their morning commute. Kansas City Scout traffic showed that the shutdown caused traffic to back up beyond Lee’s Summit Road and nearly to the interchange with Interstate 470/Missouri 291 highway during the morning commute.
