A woman is dead and a man is seriously injured after police say a driver intentionally slammed his vehicle into two others near NW Barry Road and NW Allenton Drive in Kansas City's Northland on Wednesday evening. Officers responding to a report of a three-vehicle crash around 5:15 p.m. found a chaotic scene that investigators now believe was no accident.
According to KSHB 41 Kansas City, officers arriving at the scene found an adult male in one vehicle with serious injuries and an adult female in a second vehicle with life-threatening injuries. Both were rushed to a nearby hospital, where the woman later died from her injuries, the station reported. Police located and took the adult male driver of the third vehicle into custody at the scene.
A preliminary investigation indicated the driver appeared to intentionally strike the victims' vehicles, according to the same report.
What Charges Could Follow
If prosecutors determine the man knowingly caused the woman's death or acted with intent to kill or seriously injure her, he could face second-degree murder under Missouri Revised Statutes Section 565.021, a Class A felony punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison.
Short of proving intentional homicide, prosecutors could instead pursue manslaughter charges. First-degree involuntary manslaughter under Section 565.024 is a Class C felony carrying up to 10 years for recklessly causing a death, while second-degree involuntary manslaughter under Section 565.027 covers causing a death through criminal negligence and is a Class E felony.
A Northland Intersection
The crash site is near NW Barry Road and NW Allenton Drive in Kansas City's Northland.
Other Recent Fatal Crashes in the Metro
The Northland case adds to a string of serious vehicular cases Kansas City-area authorities have handled this month. On Wednesday, Kansas City authorities charged a man with manslaughter following a May crash near Benton Boulevard that killed USPS mail carrier Gerald Nevels. And emergency responders in nearby Raytown were called Tuesday night to a separate crash on East 87th Street near James A. Reed Park, where a 5-year-old girl was struck and killed.
Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson told a police board meeting in April that the county's homicide clearance rate stands above the national average, a figure reported by The Beacon. Whether the Northland crash ultimately counts among this year's homicide statistics may depend on how detectives and prosecutors classify the driver's intent in the days ahead.
