Truck crashes into ex-Independence mayor’s home, 2 injured in sleep; man charged
A Grain Valley man is facing charges after he crashed into the home of a former Independence mayor earlier this week, injuring her and her husband as they slept, prosecutors announced Thursday.
The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office has charged 53-year-old Keith R. Clausen with one felony count of second-degree assault and one count each of fourth-degree assault and operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner that resulted in a crash, which are misdemeanors.
Shortly before 4:30 a.m. Tuesday, the truck Clausen was driving slammed into the home of former Independence mayor Eileen Weir, in the 3600 block of Blue Ridge Boulevard. Weir and her husband, Tom, were asleep at the time and were tossed from their bed. Both were taken to the hospital — Tom Weir was seriously injured.
“We’re doing reasonably well,” Eileen Weir told The Star Thursday. “We obviously have some healing and to do, and we have to get our house repaired, but in the grand scheme of things, we’re very, very fortunate that it wasn’t much worse.”
The Weirs were still assessing the extent of the damage to the house, but she said it has considerable damage. There’s a giant hole in the side of the house where the truck came through and bedroom furniture and other belongings inside the room were destroyed.
Clausen said he swerved to miss a truck and crashed into the house, Weir said, but she said his account doesn’t add up and there doesn’t appear to be any evidence showing that he swerved.
Police suspect Clausen was driving under the influence with expired tags. During questioning, Clausen allegedly told an officer that he had smoked seven to eight rocks of crack cocaine. He also allegedly told a detective that he had used medicine to treat an opioid addiction.
“I obviously feel like it was somebody who had no business being behind the wheel of a vehicle,” Weir said.
According to court documents, the crash investigation revealed that Clausen was driving a 2018 black Chevrolet Silverado pickup, with expired Missouri temporary tags, when he lost control, crossed over the center line and drove off the road. After leaving the road, Clausen continued another 200 feet before crashing into the southeast corner of the home.
The truck entered the home up to its rear axle before coming to a stop. The force of the crash threw the Weirs from their bed further into the room.
According to court documents, Tom Weir suffered serious injuries, including broken ribs, a punctured lung and deep lacerations to his head and legs. Eileen Weir suffered multiple abrasions and bruises. They were taken to a hospital for treatment of their injuries.
According to court documents, the truck’s airbag control module revealed that the truck had been traveling between 50 and 55 mph in a 35 mph zone seconds before the crash.
Officers at the scene noticed Clausen showed signs of being under the influence of an impairing substance. Clausen allegedly had five of eight possible clues of driving while impaired during a walk and turn test, including losing balance while walking and starting before being told to begin, according to court documents.
A breathalyzer test showed that Clausen had a 0% blood alcohol concentration. He allegedly consented to a blood test, and the results are pending, according to court documents.
An officer trained to recognize impairment in drivers under the influence of drugs noted that while in detention, Clausen was unable to follow instructions or safely perform tests to assess possible impairment. Clausen allegedly had difficulty keeping his eyes open and fell forward multiple times while seated. His speech was allegedly “slurred, raspy, and mumbled,” according to court documents.
During questioning, Clausen allegedly told a detective that he believed he was in Wisconsin to purchase fentanyl to take back to a friend in Illinois.
Clausen was being held in the Jackson County jail on a $100,000 bond.
This story was originally published October 30, 2025 at 12:12 PM.
