KCK teen dies from crash injuries

A teen has died as a result of injuries sustained in a wreck on Monday. Police and utility workers surveyed the crash scene on Memorial Day, May 31, near 75th Place and State Avenue. (Photo from Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department)

A Kansas City, Kansas, teen has died from injuries she sustained at a crash on Memorial Day near 75th and State Avenue, according to police.

A spokesman stated that Chelsey Updike, 16, died on Wednesday from injuries she received on Monday. She was a passenger in one of the vehicles.

Two other teens are still hospitalized in serious condition, and one other teen has been released, the spokesman stated. Two adults are hospitalized, and are expected to recover.

Officers responded to the accident around 3:45 a.m. Monday, according to the spokesman.

The initial investigation indicated that a vehicle containing four teens was traveling westbound on State Avenue at a high rate of speed when it struck an eastbound vehicle trying to make a left turn at the traffic light at North 75th Place. The vehicle also struck a utility pole.

Five of the six victims were thrown from the vehicles, while one required extrication, the police spokesman stated.

East and westbound lanes of State Avenue were closed for hours.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department’s Traffic Investigation Unit is investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS.