KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Five lanes of traffic along eastbound Interstate 435 between Holmes Road and Interstate 470/Interstate 49 were closed Thursday morning as crews worked to extinguish a semi tractor-trailer that caught fire.
Kansas City, Missouri, police crash investigators believe that the semi, which was heading eastbound on the interstate around 8:45 a.m. Thursday, was struck by debris that had flown out of a pickup truck.
While swerving to avoid additional debris, the semi struck a Honda Civic. After striking the Honda, the semi driver lost control and struck a guardrail on the right side of the interstate
Police said the cab of the semi continued to travel east after striking the guardrail before eventually crashing into a sound barrier wall in the drainage ditch at which point the cab exploded in flames moments after impact.
The driver of the semi, who has not yet been identified, was pronounced deceased on the scene.
All but one lane of the interstate was closed for the remainder of the morning as crews put out the fire and started their investigation.
Three travel lanes remained closed as of 2 p.m. as crews off-loaded cargo from two semi-trailers. Police were slowly opening the additional lanes.
KCPD and KCFD crews had responded to the scene.
There were no hazardous materials on the semi, according to KCFD, but it took a while to extinguish because water had to be brought to the scene. There are no hydrants close enough to use.
The cause of the crash and death remain under investigation.
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