Woman Injured in Semi-Truck Accident on State Line in Leawood, KS
UPDATE (January 31, 2023): I wanted to address some concerning details I've read about this crash in more recent reports. They said that the woman's vehicle became lodged under the trailer of the 18-wheeler and dragged for several miles. There's even video footage of the truck apparently driving down the highway with the car beneath it.
Now, that generally brings up the vital question, "How the hell didn't they realize they were dragging a car for that long?" Some details from authorities suggest it was due to winter weather making the roads slick and therefore making the car slide easier, and therefore less noticeably. That could be a reasonable explanation, but it could also just be a guess. That sort of thing needs to be looked into by a professional accident reconstructionist who can recreate the circumstances and test to see whether or not a reasonably prudent truck driver would have been able to notice not only the vehicle it was dragging but also the initial collision itself.
Leawood, KS -- January 25, 2023, a woman was injured due to an accident where a semi-truck crashed with her vehicle along State Line Road.
Initial details about the crash indicate that it happened at around 3:30 a.m. at the intersection of State Line Road and I-435.
It appears that a woman was traveling southbound along State Line Road. Crossing the intersection at the westbound I-435 on-ramp, her vehicle crashed into a tractor-trailer turning to get onto the ramp.
Due to the collision, the woman had injuries of unspecified severity. Right now, additional details about the crash cannot be confirmed.
When I look at the intersection this apparently took place at, it seems most recent images show there are traffic signals. That generally means a crash like this doesn't happen without someone running a red light or a yield. That may sound simple enough to look into, but it may surprise people to see how often a police investigation fails to clear up what would otherwise seem like a straight-forward situation.
I had a situation not long ago with similar details to what I'm seeing here. The authorities couldn't figure out who had the green light, and they were apparently busy with other responsibilities. They essentially threw up their hands and said, "Good luck, you're on your own." Fortunately, once we were brought into the fold, we were able to find security footage from a nearby business which clearly showed the truck run the red light.
I'm not saying anything like that happened here, and it's entirely possible authorities are hard at work getting the facts as I type this. I just know how important it is that folks don't take getting answers for granted. It may take far more effort than they realize. That's not a burden that victims and families deserve when they're already struggling, but it's unfortunately burden they often must take steps to address.
[jump]
