A pedestrian sustained serious injuries after being hit by a driver on the evening of Wednesday, October 9.
The crash occurred just after 9 p.m. at the intersection of 71 Highway and Gregory Boulevard. According to authorities, the pedestrian had the green light and was halfway through the wide intersection on the northbound lanes when the light changed. When that occurred, a driver sped into the intersection and struck the pedestrian before fleeing the scene.
The victim was taken to a local hospital and is currently listed in serious condition.
“Our first priority is asking the community to help bring this driver to justice,” noted BikeWalkKC executive director Eric Rogers. “There is no reason that the driver needed to speed through this intersection or leave the victim in the street after hitting them.”
“We hope that the victim will recover, but the unfortunate truth is that this speaks to a broader issue,” said BikeWalkKC policy manager Michael Kelley. “As a city, we are not doing enough to prioritize the safety of our most vulnerable road users, and they are paying a heavy price as a result.”
As BikeWalkKC has stated in the past, what deserves the brunt of the blame for these crashes is the culture that values car traffic efficiency over the safety of human lives. According to local news reports we’ve gathered, this marks the 31st crash involving a vulnerable road user in KCMO in 2019.
For more information, contact Karen Campbell, director of development and communications, at (816) 205-7056 (ext. 2) or by email at karen.campbell@bikewalkkc.org.
Police have described the vehicle as a red sedan, possibly a late ’90s model. They are working to gather more information from traffic cameras and BikeWalkKC will share that information when it becomes available. If you have any information about the crash, please call 911 or the TIPS hotline at (816) 474-8477.
BikeWalkKC believes that crashes are not accidents.