Police investigators have likely not had enough time to pull together all the information they need to reach solid conclusions about the cause of a deadly two-vehicle crash that claimed the lives of two Kansas City area men early Thursday morning.
Officials say possible alcohol impairment has not been ruled out as a contributing factor. The Kansas Highway Patrol is conducting the probe.
If alcohol impairment on the part of one of the drivers is shown to have been involved, that is information that the families of the victims of the crash would need to have in order to make informed decision about whether to pursue possible claims for wrongful death. Contacting an attorney right away in this regard would be highly recommended.
What the KHP has confirmed so far is that the crash occurred in the eastbound lanes of Kansas Highway 10 near Kill Creek Road shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday.
Officials say a 45-year-old Kansas City, Missouri, man in a pickup truck had been in the westbound lanes and crossed over the grass median into the eastbound lanes. There, the truck collided head on with a sedan being driven by a 20-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, man.
Officials say the vehicles were both estimated to have been going 70 mph. Both drivers were killed.
There is no information in the reports so far about what might have led the pickup truck driver to cross over into the oncoming lanes of traffic. Could he have been ill? Might he have fallen asleep at the wheel? These are among the important questions that should be answered.
Source: Lawrence Journal-World, “Troopers identify two men killed in K-10 crossover accident,” Mike Frizzell, Operation 100 News, March 20, 2014