KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Loved ones of a young girl who died in a fatal crash this week say a pothole prompted the collision.
The crash happened just before 5 p.m. Monday near 23rd Street S and Stark Avenue.
Three people, including the girl, were hospitalized after being critically wounded in the crash.
The 7-year-old girl, identified in a GoFundMe as Tiler, succumbed to her injuries on Thursday.
Tiler was in a Chevrolet Suburban on the road when it hit a pothole.
Family members say the driver of the SUV to lost control and eventually crash into a Ford F-150 that was in oncoming traffic.
Tiler suffered severe brain damage as a result of the crash, according to the GoFundMe.
"Brittany, a devoted mother, and Tiler, a vibrant 7-year-old, were struck by tragedy when their car hit a pothole on 23rd and Stark, causing them to lose control and collide with oncoming traffic," the GoFundMe said.
The massive pothole, located on the right lane of the street, had grown in size over the course of the last couple weeks.
In an email to KSHB 41, the Missouri Department of Transportation confirmed it's responsible for repairing the pothole since it lands on Missouri 78, a state highway.
MoDOT began working on the area Thursday and there was some sort of water issue, a spokesperson for the agency said.
"We are going to do whatever it takes to fix the water issue and then begin the pothole repair," Melissa Black, a spokeswoman for MoDOT, said in an email. "There are also other utilities in the area – so we don’t know exactly what we will find."
Asked when MoDOT was alerted of the pothole, Black said it was this week after the crash happened and media had reached out to the agency.
Black said MoDOT had maintenance staff investigate the pothole once it received word of it.
"Our goal is to repair it as soon as possible, hopefully by the end of the week if all goes well and assuming utility issues don’t arise," Black said.
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