An accident in Independence, Missouri, part of the greater Kansas City metropolitan area, left one person dead and one person injured enough to be taken to the hospital. The driver of the other vehicle involved suffered what police called moderate injuries, but there were no reports of her being taken to the hospital as a result.
According to police, the accident happened at an intersection in the middle of the day and involved a van and a Kia. Police described the van as hitting the Kia at the intersection but indicated that they were continuing to investigate the cause of the accident.
The force of the impact caused the Kia to roll a full 360 degrees, as it came to rest back on its tires. While the sizes of a Kia and a van are obviously different, it would take some degree of momentum for one passenger vehicle to flip another as was the case here.
A man and a woman were the victims of the accident who were in the Kia. The man died after being transported to the hospital.
While police are continuing to investigate this tragic auto accident, what is clear is that, usually, only one vehicle at a time can safely pass through an intersection. Even at the busiest intersections, a few vehicles can pass if they are not traveling toward at each other.
Should a driver miss, ignore, or, worse, try to defy a traffic signal or sign, a serious or fatal accident can be the result, particularly if the accident is at a moderate to high speed. Likewise, even just not being on the lookout for other traffic can cause a severe accident.
Drivers who cause accidents at intersections can and should be held financially accountable for the losses they cause to others.