Fatality on I-435 before Chiefs Game

[gblowfish]

I heard Andy mention this in his press conference but hadn't seen any news about it. Apparently the wreck was caused by a cop. Man, and I'm sure the backup trying to get into the stadium from Johnson County was a mess. Story is here:

https://www.kansascity.com/news/loca...220422195.html

KCPD spokesman Capt. Lionel Colón describes a fatal crash involving a police vehicle on Interstate 435 ahead of Sunday night's Chiefs football game. One person died. Two were critically injured. The officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

By Joe Robertson

A fatal crash that blocked Chiefs game traffic on Interstate 435 Sunday afternoon started when an off-duty Kansas City police officer in a department van rear-ended another vehicle, police said.

“This is a tough one,” Kansas City police Capt. Lionel Colón said Sunday night, as he spoke about the multi-vehicle crash that left one person dead, two critically injured and the officer hospitalized with injuries that were not thought to be life-threatening.

“We hurt with you,” he said, speaking to families of the victims of the crash.

The crash happened shortly after 4 p.m. in the northbound lanes of I-435 just south of Stadium Drive.

Colón said the police van rear-ended a vehicle and then two other vehicles were also involved in the crash.

Traffic was quickly reduced to one lane, and then was completely shut down by 5 p.m. Traffic backed up for some three miles as Kansas City police crash specialists investigated the scene.

Colón said Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith “is shaken” to hear that an officer has been involved in a fatal crash. “We all are,” Colón said.

Late Sunday night, police released more details of the crash. The police van, a blue Ford E350, came upon slow traffic that was lining up on the way to Arrowhead Stadium. The van ran into the rear of a Maroon Mitsubishi Lancer, knocking it into a white Ford Edge, which was forced into a black Chevy Suburban.

The police van hit both the Mitsubishi and the Ford Edge before coming to rest to the north of all three other vehicles in the crash.

The driver of the Mitsubishi was pronounced dead at the scene. Two passengers in the front and rear of the car were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. No one in the Ford Edge or the Suburban were seriously injured.

The name of the person killed in the crash had not yet been released Sunday night.

There was no indication in the preliminary investigation of the scene that any of the drivers in the crash were impaired.

The off-duty officer was on the way to Arrowhead Stadium, Colón said, but it was not known if he was going to work at the game or going as a spectator.

Many police staff are on-call and will use police vehicles while off-duty so that they can quickly respond if they are called into action, he said.

The highway remained shut down for most of three hours leading up to the game, which kicked off at 7:20 p.m. at Arrowhead.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

Because **** da police. That's how it fits.

I guess so.

Weird how there is so much hatred and bais, I know several officers, they are good people.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

Because **** da police. That's how it fits.

You don't get to kill someone, put several people in the hospital with life threatening injuries and just walk away like its a speeding ticket? I was looking at my phone, sorry my bad. Really, thats what you want to happen? No one is held accountable for distracted driving, even if someone dies?

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

You honestly think a person should go to prison for driving distracted and having an accident?

If that accident is the result of gross negligence which results in someone's death? Absolutely.

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by Fish

If that accident is the result of gross negligence which results in someone's death? Absolutely.

OK, what's the criteria to meet gross negligence?

Gross Negligence
An indifference to, and a blatant violation of, a legal duty with respect to the rights of others.

Gross negligence is a conscious and voluntary disregard of the need to use reasonable care, which is likely to cause foreseeable grave injury or harm to persons, property, or both. It is conduct that is extreme when compared with ordinary Negligence, which is a mere failure to exercise reasonable care. Ordinary negligence and gross negligence differ in degree of inattention, while both differ from willful and wanton conduct, which is conduct that is reasonably considered to cause injury. This distinction is important, since contributory negligence—a lack of care by the plaintiff that combines with the defendant's conduct to cause the plaintiff's injury and completely bar his or her action—is not a defense to willful and wanton conduct but is a defense to gross negligence. In addition, a finding of willful and wanton misconduct usually supports a recovery of Punitive Damages, whereas gross negligence does not.

gross negligence
n. carelessness in reckless disregard for the safety or lives of others, which is so great it appears to be a conscious violation of other people's rights to safety. It is more than simple inadvertence, but it is just shy of being intentionally evil. If one has borrowed or contracted to take care of another's property, then gross negligence is the failure to actively take the care one would of his/her own property. If gross negligence is found by the trier of fact (judge or jury), it can result in the award of punitive damages on top of general and special damages. (See: negligence, damages, punitive damages)

[Skyy God]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

OK, what's the criteria to meet gross negligence?

Thanks, Webster.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

OK, what's the criteria to meet gross negligence?

Yeah, that first sentence covers it nicely. Which is also why there are multiple lawsuits for negligence in the works.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

You honestly think a person should go to prison for driving distracted and having an accident?

They guy should be punished which apparently he wasn't but jail seems to be insane. It appears people only feel this way because it was a cop.

I also see a lot of accusations the guy is a piece of shit, with absolutely no evidence to support it. I mean maybe he is, but I have no reason to know that other then he made a mistake and got into a serious accident. That shit happens every single day.

Lots of people perched on high horses in this thread.

Depends on the distraction. Was he on his phone? Burn him to the ground. Did a bottle roll up under the brake? Accidents happen.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Fish

Yeah, that first sentence covers it nicely. Which is also why there are multiple lawsuits for negligence in the works.

I'm sure you recognize the distinction between simple and criminal negligence.

Criminal negligence is a standard well beyond simply screwing up. Even being on his phone is unlikely to qualify, though not impossible.

I don't think we have anywhere near enough information to know if this guy should go to prison. But the problem isn't the lack of prison time - it's the lack of said information.

The fact that the public knows effectively nothing about what went on here is ridiculous.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

You don't get to kill someone, put several people in the hospital with life threatening injuries and just walk away like its a speeding ticket? I was looking at my phone, sorry my bad. Really, thats what you want to happen? No one is held accountable for distracted driving, even if someone dies?

Did you happen to read any of my other posts in this thread?

[Marcellus]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I'm sure you recognize the distinction between simple and criminal negligence.

Criminal negligence is a standard well beyond simply screwing up. Even being on his phone is unlikely to qualify, though not impossible.

I don't think we have anywhere near enough information to know if this guy should go to prison. But the problem isn't the lack of prison time - it's the lack of said information.

The fact that the public knows effectively nothing about what went on here is ridiculous.

Yea the lack of info makes it appear to be a coverup, but without the info you don't actually know.

[Skyy God]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

Yea the lack of info makes it appear to be a coverup, but without the info you don't actually know.

Good rule of thumb: if the KCPD had exculpatory evidence, they’d release it.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Cave Johnson

Good rule of thumb: if the KCPD had exculpatory evidence, they’d release it.

It's just damn hard to even contemplate what kind of 'exculpatory evidence' could exist. I mean, what could it possibly be? A bee flying around the cabin? The guy hit a modern vehicle with enough steam to kill a guy.

This isn't exactly a Res Ipsa sort of situation but it does have a lot of the same kind of elements. He was in sole control of the vehicle (nobody was driving it remotely), the vehicle hit a stationary car at a high rate of speed. Generally speaking, absent negligence, one vehicle does not drive through the back of another vehicle at a high rate of speed without negligence on the part of the driver. You can impute from those 3 facts that there was SOME negligence there on his part.

I mean - that's kinda straight out of a textbook.

To me the question is simply 'just how badly did this guy screw up?' and it's maddening that the KCPD has gone completely dark in that regard.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I'm sure you recognize the distinction between simple and criminal negligence.

Criminal negligence is a standard well beyond simply screwing up. Even being on his phone is unlikely to qualify, though not impossible.

I don't think we have anywhere near enough information to know if this guy should go to prison. But the problem isn't the lack of prison time - it's the lack of said information.

The fact that the public knows effectively nothing about what went on here is ridiculous.

I'm just saying it's a really ugly look for the PD. Witnesses reported that the van didn't apply the brakes until 2 car lengths before the collision. No information released. Mostly because the investigation is still ongoing. But to put this guy back to work in light of all that does them no favors. I'm not seeing how negligence couldn't be applied. Whether gross or not, who knows. But it sure smells like a turd at this point and makes the PD look bad regardless.

[Skyy God]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It's just damn hard to even contemplate what kind of 'exculpatory evidence' could exist. I mean, what could it possibly be? A bee flying around the cabin? The guy hit a modern vehicle with enough steam to kill a guy.

This isn't exactly a Res Ipsa sort of situation but it does have a lot of the same kind of elements. He was in sole control of the vehicle (nobody was driving it remotely), the vehicle hit a stationary car at a high rate of speed. Generally speaking, absent negligence, one vehicle does not drive through the back of another vehicle at a high rate of speed without negligence on the part of the driver. You can impute from those 3 facts that there was SOME negligence there on his part.

I mean - that's kinda straight out of a textbook.

To me the question is simply 'just how badly did this guy screw up?' and it's maddening that the KCPD has gone completely dark in that regard.

The two likely causes were alcohol and phone usage.

Re the former, they should have field tested him to eliminate any hint of a coverup. On the latter, there’s cell tower access data to determine data useage at the time of the crash.

We don’t know that the KCPD investigated either at this point.

[007]

Originally Posted by Marcellus

I guess so.



Weird how there is so much hatred and bais, I know several officers, they are good people.

I know officers as well. For the most part they are all good people. My point above was regarding this specific officer. He killed an innocent human being by being negligent. People go to jail for vehicular manslaughter. Not for the same amount of time as somebody with a DUI that did the same. But they do serve time and punishment for the action.

Giving this guy a slap on the wrist and putting him back out there is bullshit.

I respect the police and the job they have to do. Nothing in my post stated otherwise. Calling what I said similar to a witch hunt is not fair at all.