The driver of a semi truck was hurt in a fiery wreck on westbound I-435 late Wednesday morning, officials confirmed.
A traffic camera in Overland Park captured the moment the semi truck crashed.
Check out today's crash on I-435. Thankfully the driver received only minor injuries. pic.twitter.com/aWZ0Whz7Ux
— Frank Donchez (@OPPD_Chief) August 16, 2017
Officials said that section of the roadway will remain closed until 10 a.m. Thursday morning for attenuator repair.
Overland Park police said the driver of the semi may have crashed due to a medical issue. According to a release from Overland Park police, the driver was trapped in the cab immediately following the crash but other motorists at the scene helped him out of the compartment.
"We heard this big bang and then we all turned around and the entire highway was just lit in flames," said Erin Deweese, who heard the crash while she was at work.
Deweese works in a building in Corporate Woods that overlooks 435.
"It was at least around a hundred feet of the highway was up in flames to where people couldn't even pass," said Deweese.
Deweese took video of the aftermath of the crash out the window and called the police.
"There were at least 10 people that stopped and just jumped out of their cars and went running towards this vehicle," said Deweese.
Emergency crews shut down the interstate at Antioch, just east of Highway 69, as they worked to clear the scene. No other cars were involved.
This is the third fiery semi truck crash on this stretch of 435 in just five weeks.
Nicole Randall, Public Affairs Manager for Northeast Kansas, Kansas Department of Transportation, said they are constantly evaluating their construction zones, however, they note that most crashes in construction areas are caused by distracted driving or speeding.This construction zone is being evaluated, but Randall says it is not necessarily because of the crashes.
"We are looking at this area and going, 'is there something that needs to change?' and we are determining right now whether something needs to change." said Randall.
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