A 38-year-old Shawnee woman was seriously injured early Sunday after her SUV left its lane on southbound Interstate 635 and slammed into a parked car on the shoulder in Kansas City, Kansas. Janee Patrice Stokes was the driver and only occupant of the 2024 Chevrolet Trax involved in the crash, which was reported at 1:52 a.m. Sunday south of Metropolitan Avenue in Wyandotte County.
According to WIBW, Stokes's Trax left the marked lane while traveling southbound before striking a 2009 Dodge Charger that was unoccupied and legally parked on the right shoulder. Officials said Stokes was seriously injured in the crash and was transported to University of Kansas Hospital. Per Kansas Highway Patrol, Stokes was not wearing her seat belt at the time of the collision.
Kansas Highway Patrol's online crash records, filed under Case #2026011026, pinpoint the collision at mile marker 1.9 on I-635, about 0.75 miles south of Metropolitan Avenue, and note the crash was investigated by Trooper K399, per Kansas Highway Patrol records. Both vehicles were later removed from the highway shoulder by Sunflower Tow Service, the same crash logs show. No further details on the crash's ultimate cause were available.
A Corridor With a History of Shoulder Hazards
The stretch of I-635 near Metropolitan Avenue has seen trouble before. A November 2025 crash was reported on northbound I-35 near I-635. Mid-America Regional Council materials provide general administrative information.
State lawmakers have already moved to address roadside risks like the one Stokes encountered. Under Kansas Senate Bill 8, signed into law in March 2025 and implemented in July 2025, move-over protections were expanded to require drivers on multi-lane highways to change lanes or slow down when approaching any stationary disabled vehicle displaying hazard lights, not just official emergency or maintenance vehicles, according to the Office of the Governor of Kansas.
Seat Belt Use Remains a Statewide Concern
Stokes's unbelted status reflects a broader pattern in Kansas driving habits. The state's adult seat belt usage rate stood at 84.7% in 2025, below the national average of 91.3%, according to the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office. That gap carries real consequences: 2024 state traffic safety data show that while 97.7% of all people involved in Kansas vehicle crashes were buckled up, unrestrained occupants accounted for 46.8% of all motor vehicle crash fatalities statewide.
The safety math behind seat belts is well documented nationally. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that lap-and-shoulder belts reduce the risk of fatal injury for front-seat passenger car occupants by 45% and moderate-to-critical injury by 50%. National 2024 injury-cost information provides context on the financial impact of motor vehicle crashes, with Black non-Hispanic residents experiencing non-fatal crash hospitalization rates of 98 per 100,000 residents.
Kansas Highway Patrol's investigation into the Metropolitan Avenue crash continues. No further details on Stokes's condition or the crash's ultimate cause have been released.
