KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Independence. Share your story idea with Claire.
—
When people drive down Blue Ridge Boulevard in Raytown from Gregory to 75th Street, they will see some added safety measures.
First, the city added blinking speed signs so drivers know when they are over the 35 mph speed limit.
When KSHB 41 News was filming this story, we saw multiple people speeding excessively, according to the sign.
On Monday, the city then milled the double yellow line, adding more than 1,400 linear feet of rumble strips to alert drivers when they are crossing into oncoming traffic.
The city will now re-stripe the road to make lines more visible.
These improvements come after the Brown family lost two loved ones last year. They started calling on the city to make a change.
Per previous reporting, Crystle Brown, 35, was driving her daughter Zeraieh Bland, 18, to one of her final days of high school on May 11, 2023.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported Brown crossed over the center line while driving northbound on Blue Ridge Boulevard and making the curve at East 72nd Street.
An oncoming vehicle collided with Brown’s, pushing her vehicle into a nearby ditch. Crystle and Zeraieh died on the scene.
Their family thinks some factors could’ve prevented this accident, which is why they took it upon themselves to call on neighbors and city officials to push for improvements.
“Crystle’s mom, Zeraieh’s grandma, she's been calling the city, talking to the police, advocating really, really, really tough," said Charles Brown, Crystle’s older brother. "And when I say tough, I mean probably every other day tough. But I think these strips will save a lot of lives."
Raytown Police Capt. Jared Rogers was one of the first on the scene of Crystle and Zeraieh’s accident.
As a dad, he said it was hard to find out Zeraieh would have been the first in her family to go to college.
He has since stayed in touch with the family, helping them with tributes at the site.
Rogers said in his time with the Raytown Police Department, he knows of multiple incidents on that stretch of Blue Ridge Boulevard.
“Over the course of 22 years now, we've had everything from fatal crashes to fender benders to just a little south of there somebody running off of that sweeping curve into somebody's house,” he said.
Now, the Brown family has the fruits of their labor in the middle of the road to remind drivers to slow down and pay attention.
Off to the side, they have a memorial to remind them and others to always say “I love you” before getting behind the wheel.
“Their lives mean so much, and we can use their lives to save lives,” Brown said.
—