A fatal accident involving a Kansas City, Kan., police vehicle was reported at 10:29 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at 7th Street northbound at Freeman Court in Kansas City, Kan. The driver of a Honda involved in the accident admitted to having been drinking, according to a state trooper.
A 1988 Honda Civic driven by a 37-year-old Kansas City, Kan., woman was southbound on 7th Street and the Kansas City, Kan., police vehicle was northbound on 7th Street, according to a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s report. The Kansas Highway Patrol investigated the accident.
The Honda Civic made a left turn in front of the police vehicle and was struck in the front passenger side door, according to the trooper’s report.
A passenger in the Honda Civic, Wendell L. Hall, 50, Kansas City, Kan., died. The trooper’s report stated he was not wearing a safety restraint.
The trooper who investigated the accident said that the police vehicle was responding to an emergency, to back up another officer dealing with a combative subject, when the accident occurred. The speed of the police car is under investigation.
The accident did not occur at an intersection; the driver of the Honda was turning into a parking lot of an apartment complex, the trooper said. There were no stop signs or stoplights at the accident scene.
The trooper who was investigating the accident said that there was an open container of alcohol in the Honda and the driver admitted to drinking it. A blood sample has been sent off to a lab, and they are awaiting results, he said.
The driver of the Honda Civic was injured and taken to a hospital, according to the trooper’s report.
The police vehicle, a 2013 Ford Explorer, was driven by a 31-year-old woman police officer. She was injured and taken to a hospital.