32-year-old woman identified as person killed in fiery crash on Kansas City interstate

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The person killed in what police thought was a fiery hit-and-run crash on Interstate 670 earlier this week was identified as a 32-year-old Kansas City woman, a police spokesman said.

Lacey P. Hardcastle died in the crash shortly after midnight Monday morning on westbound I-670 near where it crosses over Troost Avenue, said Sgt. Jake Becchina, a spokesman for the Kansas City Police Department.

Hardcastle was a passenger in a white Chevrolet Trax that crashed as it was headed west on I-670. The compact SUV struck a barrier and then careened off the highway. It struck several concrete barriers, knocking them off the highway shoulder and down a grassy embankment, Becchina said.

The force of the crash spun the SUV around and back into a lane of traffic. Then, the SUV burst into flames.

Hardcastle had been riding in the front seat and died at the scene.

Originally, police said the driver fled the scene in another vehicle, leaving behind another occupant of the SUV who was critically injured. It was later confirmed that the injured person was the driver of the SUV, Becchina said.

Detectives continue to investigate the crash and once completed, will present the file to prosecutors for consideration of possible charges, he said.