A Kansas City driver was left with critical injuries Friday afternoon after a pickup truck fleeing Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers blew through a stop sign and slammed into her car. The crash happened around 1:07 p.m. at 9th Street and Norton Avenue, sending the woman to the hospital while the pickup's driver, a juvenile passenger and a second passenger who fled on foot scattered in the aftermath.
Troopers had been chasing a speeding white Dodge Ram pickup that was heading north on Norton Avenue, according to KCTV. The truck ran the stop sign at the intersection and struck a silver Honda Accord that was traveling west on 9th Street, according to officials. The Honda driver was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, the station reported.
Pickup Occupants Taken Into Custody, One Still Missing
The pickup driver and a juvenile passenger inside the truck were not injured in the crash and were taken into custody at the scene, police said. A second passenger ran from the crash site and had not been found by the time of the report, according to KCPD, leaving investigators searching for that individual as the inquiry continues.
It remains unclear what prompted troopers to initiate the pursuit in the first place, and the station's report does not specify why the Dodge Ram was being chased before the crash.
A Pattern of Dangerous Pursuits on Kansas City Streets
Friday's crash adds to a string of pursuit-related collisions that have rattled Kansas City streets this year. In July, a pedestrian was killed overnight after being struck by a vehicle that was being pursued by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, per the same account from KCTV. Investigators said a white Chevrolet Trax hit the pedestrian in a marked crosswalk near 18th Street and Prospect Avenue, and the driver did not stop. KCPD said that death marked the 43rd traffic fatality it had investigated so far in 2026, compared with 44 at the same point in 2025.
Norton Avenue itself has seen tragedy before. In August 2024, three people died and several others, including four children, were seriously injured in a crash at East 35th Street and Norton Avenue after a stolen crossover SUV sped away from a traffic stop and slammed into another SUV, according to The Kansas City Star. A separate incident saw a driver and juvenile passenger riding in a Dodge Ram injured when a car fleeing Independence police struck their truck and a Jeep Cherokee, as reported by KSHB.
Statewide Pursuit Numbers on the Rise
The Missouri State Highway Patrol logged 812 pursuits in 2025, a 24.5% increase from the year before, according to the agency's own pursuit report. Pursued drivers crashed in 3.8% of those pursuits statewide, and pickup trucks made up 14.2% of the vehicles involved in MSHP chases that year. The same report recorded zero citizen deaths but noted 11 citizens suffered suspected minor or possible injuries because of a pursuit in 2025.
No charges or court proceedings connected to Friday's crash had been reported as of the station's story. The search for the second passenger who fled the scene was ongoing when KCTV published its account.
