KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -
Traffic was back to flowing smoothly along Interstate 29 about 9 p.m. Friday, but that was far from the case about 5:30 p.m. after a pedestrian was struck and killed.
Hours earlier traffic was backed up in the southbound lanes after multiple wrecks, one of which was deadly.
"You never get used to it, I don't think you want to get used to it," Sgt. Bill Mahoney with the Kansas City, MO, Police Department.
Mahoney works crashes almost every day, but said Friday's was one of the more difficult scenes he's come across.
Police said 37-year-old Amy E. Nichols was in the middle of the southbound lanes near 64th Street and oncoming traffic couldn't stop in time.
"The vehicle struck the pedestrian. She appears to have been killed instantly. She was then struck by a second vehicle," he said.
Mahoney said both drivers stopped and are cooperating with investigators. The question police are now looking into is why Nichols was in the middle of the busy interstate.
"We are still looking at that. We have officers taking a look at some vehicles stopped along the roadway to see if maybe this was somebody from a disabled vehicle. Or maybe it was somebody that lived in the neighborhood. It's just too early to tell," he said.
Mahoney said whatever the case may be, the tragedy serves as a somber reminder for drivers to stay in their vehicles if they break down and never try to cross a busy roadway.
There were also a few minor wrecks just north of the one at 1-29 and 64th Street. Multiple wrecks were reported along the interstate between 152nd and 56th streets and they appear to be from the slowdown in traffic as people passed the wreck.
No injuries were reported in the other wrecks.
Copyright 2012 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2013 WorldNow and WSFA, a Raycom Media Station.
