Interstate 670 has re-opened in downtown Kansas City after a multi-vehicle crash involving a stolen Hyundai, a cement truck and three other vehicles.According to KCPD, there were multiple injuries reported. One driver has severe but non-life-threatening injuries from the wreck.Police said accident investigators were called out to the collision at 5:46 a.m. According to law enforcement, an initial investigation revealed that a stolen Hyundai tried to take the entrance ramp to southbound Interstate 35 from Broadway. The Hyundai struck a Kenworth box truck and a Geiger cement truck on the entrance ramp. The Geiger cement truck went off the ramp, down an embankment striking a large cedar tree. The cement truck then continued over the guardrail, striking a westbound grey Honda Civic, and continued over and through the concrete jersey barrier separating the east and westbound lanes of I-670. The cement truck then struck an eastbound Dodge Durango, forcing both vehicles off the roadway. Both the Durango and the cement truck caught fire at the scene, which firefighters quickly extinguished. Fire from the crash burned a nearby overpass. That bridge is believed to still be structurally sound. MoDOT did have engineers on site and determined it was safe for traffic. A bridge expert at Missouri S&T said it’s essential to do a thorough inspection and take samples from the bridge after any fire. Bridges are built to withstand more than their load rating, but the expert says the fire may mean the bridge’s total lifespan has been reduced. The driver of the Honda and Durango were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The cement truck driver is in serious but stable condition. The driver of the stolen vehicle is believed to have fled the scene on foot. The stolen car is the latest in a nationwide string of Hyundai and Kia thefts. It’s unclear if this vehicle was stolen via an easily exploitable security flaw. Clay County is giving away free steering wheel locks for drivers of Kia and Hyundai cars because of the flaw. They started giving them away last Thursday, have already given out 100 and may need to order more. A backup grew in both directions of the crash. The entrance ramp and both directions of I-670 were closed to all traffic for nearly five hours. Currently, the only portion still closed are the eastbound lanes for the clean-up of the cement truck and roadway damage. No additional details about the crash victims or the driver of the stolen Hyundai have been released at this time. A police investigation remains ongoing.
Interstate 670 has re-opened in downtown Kansas City after a multi-vehicle crash involving a stolen Hyundai, a cement truck and three other vehicles.
According to KCPD, there were multiple injuries reported. One driver has severe but non-life-threatening injuries from the wreck.
Police said accident investigators were called out to the collision at 5:46 a.m.
According to law enforcement, an initial investigation revealed that a stolen Hyundai tried to take the entrance ramp to southbound Interstate 35 from Broadway. The Hyundai struck a Kenworth box truck and a Geiger cement truck on the entrance ramp.
The Geiger cement truck went off the ramp, down an embankment striking a large cedar tree. The cement truck then continued over the guardrail, striking a westbound grey Honda Civic, and continued over and through the concrete jersey barrier separating the east and westbound lanes of I-670.
The cement truck then struck an eastbound Dodge Durango, forcing both vehicles off the roadway.
Both the Durango and the cement truck caught fire at the scene, which firefighters quickly extinguished. Fire from the crash burned a nearby overpass. That bridge is believed to still be structurally sound.
MoDOT did have engineers on site and determined it was safe for traffic. A bridge expert at Missouri S&T said it’s essential to do a thorough inspection and take samples from the bridge after any fire.
Bridges are built to withstand more than their load rating, but the expert says the fire may mean the bridge’s total lifespan has been reduced.
The driver of the Honda and Durango were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The cement truck driver is in serious but stable condition.
The driver of the stolen vehicle is believed to have fled the scene on foot. The stolen car is the latest in a nationwide string of Hyundai and Kia thefts.
It’s unclear if this vehicle was stolen via an easily exploitable security flaw. Clay County is giving away free steering wheel locks for drivers of Kia and Hyundai cars because of the flaw.
They started giving them away last Thursday, have already given out 100 and may need to order more.
A backup grew in both directions of the crash. The entrance ramp and both directions of I-670 were closed to all traffic for nearly five hours.
Currently, the only portion still closed are the eastbound lanes for the clean-up of the cement truck and roadway damage.
No additional details about the crash victims or the driver of the stolen Hyundai have been released at this time. A police investigation remains ongoing.
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