UPDATE, 2:24 p.m. | The inside lane going westbound along Interstate 70 reopened. The middle and outside lane remain closed as emergency crews clear accident debris.
Driver are asked to drive slow and be mindful of emergency and highway workers.
I-70 CLOSURE UPDATE - I-70 Westbound has now reopened however, only the inside lane is clear. The middle & outside lanes remain closed to clear accident debris. That means you can head West, but not at full speed. Please, take is slow & be mindful of emergency & highway workers.
— Kansas City, Kansas Police Department (@KCKPDChief) March 18, 2022
UPDATE, 2 p.m. | A pickup that allegedly side-swiped a semi Friday morning along Interstate 70 in Kansas City, Kansas, started a chain reaction crash that left one person dead and two others injured.
Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. Mark Christesen told KSHB 41 News that first responders were called just before 8 a.m. to I-70 near 86th Street in western Wyandotte County for the crash.
Christesen says the initial investigation revealed the driver of the pickup was eastbound on the interstate when it side-swiped a semi also traveling east.
The eastbound semi lost control and struck the center barrier, during which the cab broke through when it was struck by a semi traveling on westbound I-70.
Christesen said one of the semi drivers was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the other semi and the driver of the pickup were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The crash took out several feet of the concrete barrier wall. Christesen said maintenance crews will likely have periodic lane closures next week to complete repairs.
The crash shut down both directions of the interstate through early Friday afternoon.
As of 1 p.m., the eastbound lanes had been re-opened. The westbound lanes were expected to remain closed for several more hours.
ORIGINAL STORY | Interstate 70 eastbound and westbound in Kansas City, Kansas, has been closed at 86th Street due to a crash between two semi-trucks.
Flames can be seen coming from a vehicle involved in the crash.
Kansas Highway Patrol is currently working on the crash and said a person was stuck in the crash.
The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department posted on social media about the crash and said that it is a "fatality accident." The department confirmed one person has died in the crash.
KCKPD said the crash occurred on I-70 westbound but some debris from the crash went into the eastbound lanes.
KCKPD also said that one other person was injured in the crash, but their injuries are not serious.
SCARY MOMENTS as a semi bursts into flames along I-70 EB.
— Daisha Jones (@DaishaJonesKSHB) March 18, 2022
What we know:
2 semi’s involved.
Fully engulfed in fire.
One person reportedly trapped.
One fatality.
I-70 SHUT DOWN in both directions. @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/HMRORVYcGQ
KCKPD said, in a social media post, that there is no estimate on how long I-70 will remain closed.
"Due to a serious accident at the I-70 435 interchange, westbound I-70 is currently closed at 78th Street," the post said. "Eastbound traffic is being diverted to 435."
UPDATE ON I-70 CLOSURE:
— 41 Traffic Now (@41TrafficNow) March 18, 2022
The blue arrows represent where traffic is being diverted.
I-70 WB CLOSED AT 78TH ST.
I-70 EB diverted to I-435@DaishaJonesKSHB @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/V6oBpuX2ju
At around 10:30 a.m., KCKPD told KSHB 41 News that it will probably be three hours before crews can reopen I-70.
This is a developing story.
