OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — A 25-year-old man from Shawnee was killed Thursday night when an SUV hit him and a parked car on the northbound shoulder of I-35 close to the 75th Street exit in Overland Park, Kan., the Kansas Highway Patrol said.
Troopers said a 1991 Honda Civic had pulled onto the right shoulder with its hazard lights on, and the man was standing behind it checking the trunk. A 2024 Subaru Crosstrek heading north was traveling on that shoulder and struck him and the back of the Civic. The impact threw both into the second, third and fourth lanes of the highway. He died at the scene. The Subaru ended up in the ditch on the right side, and its driver had minor injuries.
The wreck happened around 6:30 p.m. and closed several northbound lanes for hours. The patrol is still looking into what led to the crash, and no charges had been announced. The Subaru was traveling on the shoulder itself, not in a marked lane, when it hit the stopped car.
This part of I-35 has seen a run of wrecks. There have been 14 crashes near I-35 and 75th Street since early April, at all hours rather than only at rush hour. Near the interchange, a 1.5-mile section drops from six lanes to three, a squeeze left by a 2012 Kansas Department of Transportation project that tied I-69 into I-35 with a ramp to 75th Street. That work took three years and cost nearly $84 million.
Overland Park has said it would work with the state transportation department on a fix if a problem is found, and the department has said it weighs safety data when planning future road work. Overland Park leaders have said they had not heard major complaints from drivers about the interchange.
Section: More Kansas City MO crime news
Filed under: Kansas City MO Traffic News