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.

[007]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

FTR, I'm not that guy by any means. But they need to be subject to the same laws as they enforce and face the same consequences when they violate them as the general public does.

you mean the same laws and rules that government is supposed to follow but doesn't?

[Flying High D]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

FTR, I'm not that guy by any means. But they need to be subject to the same laws as they enforce and face the same consequences when they violate them as the general public does.

They are the worse. Laws don’t apply to them. They enforce the laws, not follow the law. They are leaders not followers.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by 007

you mean the same laws and rules that government is supposed to follow but doesn't?

I can't see a way that a rear-end collision = death for the person hit without a high rate of speed.

And yes - law enforcement consistently breaks traffic laws in response...

[cooper barrett]

Originally Posted by TribalElder

I remember the long version of the video showed a bunch of other cops showing up offering to straighten the handlebars and give him a band aid

Damage control in action...

Silence in these matters equals no good.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by sedated

Maybe I'm becoming cynical in my old(er) age, but drivers are paying less and less attention and I blame cell phones.

I try to never use mine while driving but rarely ride with anyone who isn't playing a song, looking at GPS, or texting/talking. Meanwhile every time I'm on the highway it feels like I spend the whole time avoiding people who are going dangerously slow, swerving into occupied lanes, or just acting like someone who has no clue what is going on around them. There is an accident EVERY DAY during my commute, and 5+ years ago that seemed to be limited to once or twice a week.

It’s not you man. This whole goddamn society has become super ADD and can’t focus on anything at all. The last 10-15 years have really catered to providing information quickly and easily, not just cell phones - but they’re the main driver. Phones have gotten so good at easily accessing information, along with Facebook twitter and wherever else that anytime we lose focus for just a second we can go off and get sidetracked.

And since we are stupid non-self aware children, we just allow ourselves to get consumed and get nothing done.

I’m not immune to it. But I’m self aware enough to know that it can become a problem and address it.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by Rausch

I can't see a way that a rear-end collision = death for the person hit without a high rate of speed.

And yes - law enforcement consistently breaks traffic laws in response...

I'm not talking about law enforcement responding to an emergency. And even then, they can't drive recklessly.



This isn't what was going on here anyway.

[DenverChief]

Originally Posted by Bugeater

FTR, I'm not that guy by any means. But they need to be subject to the same laws as they enforce and face the same consequences when they violate them as the general public does.

I agree. I just have it when one cop screws it up for the rest of us...because now we are all dirtbags. I also hate it that people can't differentiate between the wo/man and the uniform.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by DenverChief

I agree. I just have it when one cop screws it up for the rest of us...because now we are all dirtbags. I also hate it that people can't differentiate between the wo/man and the uniform.

That's because the rest of the cops and they union work to protect that dirtbag cop. Like DJ posted earlier, there wasn't even a police report on it available until the kcstar printed something
Posted via Mobile Device

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by -King-

That's because the rest of the cops and they union work to protect that dirtbag cop. Like DJ posted earlier, there wasn't even a police report on it available until the kcstar printed something
Posted via Mobile Device

I back the badge 9 times out of 10 - I ain't gonna do that job and someone needs to. The overwhelming majority of LEOs are there for the right reason and do an exceptional job of it.

But I do get frustrated as hell when otherwise good cops will bury their heads in the sand and/or actively hide malfeasance from one of their own.

It's the one thing that makes me take pause when I defend the law enforcement community writ large. There absolutely ARE times when they circle the wagons around a piece of shit exclusively because he's an officer and that's a black mark on the profession for sure.

[Flying High D]

Cops are second grade playground bullies with badges. Doesn’t take much to stay out of their way, obey their orders and always back the blue.

[DenverChief]

Originally Posted by -King-

That's because the rest of the cops and they union work to protect that dirtbag cop. Like DJ posted earlier, there wasn't even a police report on it available until the kcstar printed something
Posted via Mobile Device

I know it's easy to think conspiracy, but sometimes those things take time. You want to get them right.

[DenverChief]

Originally Posted by Flying High D

Cops are second grade playground bullies with badges. Doesn’t take much to stay out of their way, obey their orders and always back the blue.

Oh yeah. Nailed it.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by DenverChief

I know it's easy to think conspiracy, but sometimes those things take time. You want to get them right.

See this is the point...you're not even involved and you're still trying to defend it. It should not take the KC star writing an article for a police report to be provided 2 weeks later. You think it would have taken that long if it was a civilian?
Posted via Mobile Device

[cooper barrett]

Originally Posted by DenverChief

I know it's easy to think conspiracy, but sometimes those things take time. You want to get them right.

In the past it was to arrest the first black guy who couldn't make bail or afford an attorney. When it's one of your own then you want to get the facts right?

[DenverChief]

Originally Posted by -King-

See this is the point...you're not even involved and you're still trying to defend it. It should not take the KC star writing an article for a police report to be provided 2 weeks later. You think it would have taken that long if it was a civilian?
Posted via Mobile Device

I'm not "defending it" rather offering a plausible explanation. I don't jump to conspiracy theory right away. I don't know much about KCMO PD but I doubt there is some next level LAPD dark ops shit. But I could be wrong, time will tell.