KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 75-year-old Independence, Missouri, man died Monday after the car he was driving in was struck by a minivan that allegedly ran a red light.
According to the Independence Police Department, Thomas Cooke was driving through a green light around 7:30 a.m. at the intersection at U.S. 24 and South Sterling Avenue when a Honda Odyssey that was westbound on U.S. 24 ran a red light, striking Cooke’s Mercury Grand Marquis.
Cooke was taken to an area hospital where he died. A passenger in the vehicle with Cooke remains in serious condition at a separate hospital.
Independence police said the driver and three passengers in the Honda fled the scene on foot and have not been identified.
According to witnesses, the Honda was traveling faster than the speed limit when it ran the red light.
Additional witnesses or anyone with information about the wreck is asked to contact Detective Baltzer at 816-325-6261.
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