A Kansas City, Missouri man died after being struck by vehicles twice on US 169 Highway in Miami County, Kansas, late Sunday night, and investigators are seeking the driver of a black Hyundai Tucson that may have been involved. Curtis A. Thaxton, 45, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital after what the Miami County Sheriff's Office describes as a chaotic, multi-vehicle sequence of events on the rural highway.
According to a statement from the Miami County Sheriff's Office, the initial 911 caller reported that Thaxton was running in the middle of US 169 Highway toward her vehicle, forcing her to reverse shortly before he was struck. As reported by KSHB 41 Kansas City, the sheriff's office was alerted to the incident around 10 p.m. Sunday, and the caller reported a person running in the middle of the highway before being struck by a vehicle.
Thaxton was struck a second time as first responders were arriving at the scene, per the station's report. The sheriff's office says a third vehicle may have struck the pedestrian during that chaotic window; it was described as a black Hyundai Tucson with black wheels, and investigators are seeking its driver.
First Two Drivers Stayed, Third Vehicle Fled
The first two vehicles involved ultimately remained at the scene to speak with deputies; the second driver initially left and later returned. The same KSHB report notes that the first two vehicles involved stayed at the scene to speak with deputies, cooperating with the investigation while the search for the third driver continues.
Sheriff's deputies administered immediate lifesaving care on scene until Miami County EMS arrived and transferred Thaxton to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the department said. Emergency crews had attempted to render aid to Thaxton at the scene before the transfer, according to the earlier report.
Highway Closed for Hours as Traffic Homicide Unit Worked the Scene
The Miami County Sheriff's Office Traffic Homicide Unit reopened US 169 Highway around 1:00 a.m. Monday after closing both directions between Evening Star Road and Pleasant Valley Road for approximately three hours to process the scene. The closure affected the stretch of highway where Thaxton, a Kansas City, Missouri resident, was fatally struck.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Miami County Sheriff's Office at 913-294-3232, per the KSHB report. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers hotline at 816-474-8477, which offers anonymous crime reporting by phone, online submission, or the P3 Tips mobile app, and Crime Stoppers could offer a cash reward depending on the tip, according to the same account. KSHB also noted that its Homicide Tracker was launched in 2015.
Fleeing a Fatal Crash Carries Felony Exposure Under Kansas Law
Under Kansas Statute K.S.A. 8-1602, leaving the scene of an accident that results in death is classified as a severity level 4 person felony if the driver knew or reasonably should have known that injury or death occurred, according to FindLaw. That classification would apply to whoever was driving the Hyundai Tucson if identified and charged.
A Dangerous Stretch of Rural Highway
The crash adds to a troubling run of severe incidents along the same corridor. In March 2026, a 47-year-old driver was killed and a passenger was injured in a separate rollover crash on southbound US 169 near Lookout Road in Miami County, according to a Kansas Highway Patrol report relayed by JC Post.
Preliminary data from the Kansas Department of Transportation's Drive to Zero initiative recorded 244 traffic fatalities statewide through late September 2026, an 8.27 percent decrease compared to the same period in 2025.
Further north, US 169 feeds into the Kansas City metro. Investigators have not said why Thaxton was in the roadway that night, and they are seeking to speak with the driver of a black Hyundai Tucson that may have been involved.
