KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just before 3:30p.m. Friday in Kansas City.
A man was initially occupying a black GMC Sierra pickup in a lane of traffic on eastbound Interstate 70, just west of Blue Ridge Cutoff, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil Dimartino. A white Freightliner truck, tractor and flatbed trailer was behind the GMC. The semi driver was attempting to change lanes and make his way across traffic.
For unknown reasons, the pedestrian exited his GMC Sierra in the middle of rush hour traffic and attempted to enter the cab of the semi. The truck driver began to slowly pull forward in an attempt to exit the area while the pedestrian was running alongside the flatbed trailer of the truck.
The pedestrian then attempted to jump on to the trailer, grabbing a retention strap as the trailer was moving. The pedestrian lost his grip and fell to the roadway. The rear axle of the trailer ran over the pedestrian before the truck driver could get his vehicle stopped.
The pedestrian was pronounced deceased at the scene. The truck driver was uninjured in the collision. All lanes of eastbound Interstate 70 were closed to traffic at Interstate 435 for approximately two and a half hours, according to DiMartino. This is fatality #32 compared to #47 at this time in 2024. The name of the victim has not been released.