KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man pleaded guilty Thursday to involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor DWI in a 2021 crash that killed a father of eight.
Joseph Cook, 37, entered the plea in Jackson County Court in Independence just over three years after the crash that killed Kevin Daniels.
The crash happened about 10:30 p.m. on March 6, 2021, on U.S. 50 Highway near the Northwest Chipman Road exit.
Several motorists called 911 to report a driver going east in the westbound lanes of U.S. 50 Highway.
Police arrived to find two pickup trucks had collided and both were on fire, according to a court document.
Motorists who stopped to help were able to get Cook out of his truck, but the intense fire in Daniels's pickup truck prevented access to the inside of the truck.
The Lee's Summit Fire Department put out the fire in Daniels's pickup truck and he was found dead inside his truck.
The court document states Cook told a police officer at the hospital he had been drinking and did not know what happened.
A toxicology report revealed Cook had a blood alcohol level over three times the legal limit less than two hours after the crash.
His sentencing is scheduled for June 6.
