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Family of man killed in I-435 crash files lawsuit against truck driver, contracting company

Family alleges driver, company was negligent
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Posted at 2:36 PM, Jul 12, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-12 15:36:27-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The family of a man who was killed in a crash on Interstate 435 at East 87th Street on July 5 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

Joey Schweinfurth, 51, died in the crash which shut down the highway for several hours on that day.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the 16th Circuit Court of Jackson County, accuses Ballance Contracting Services LLC and Jeffrey L. Ory of being negligent.

Ory was driving a dump truck owned by Ballance on I-435 when a tire blew out.

The lawsuit alleges the tire blow out caused the truck to cross over the median and jersey cables, hitting a Ford F-150 truck driven by Mr. Schweinfurth.

Among the allegations in the lawsuit include that Ballance was negligent in hiring Ory and not properly training him, among other things.

It also says Ballance failed to properly maintain the truck Ory was driving.

Against Ory, the lawsuit claims Ory also failed to properly maintain and operate the truck, among other things.

“This family wants answers as they are devastated by Joey’s death,” Brittany Sanders Robb, the Kansas City attorney representing the family, said in a statement. “Either that tire was not properly inspected or the driver had no training on how to handle a blowout."

The family seeks unspecified damages in the lawsuit.