Independence man killed by car while asking drivers for money along Kansas City road

A man asking drivers for money on the side of the Interstate was struck and killed by a car early Sunday, Kansas City police said.

Officers were called just before 3:30 a.m. to the area of East Truman Road and Interstate 435 East on a crash, according to a news release from the Kansas City Police Department.

First responders gathered on East Truman Road, at the base of the exit ramp on northbound I-435, to assess the damage after the driver of a Kia sedan headed eastbound “lost control” of their vehicle, according to the news release.

The Kia first went over the south curb of the road and hit a pedestrian who was sitting at the base of the exit ramp.

Two other pedestrians with the victim told police that they were sitting together at the base of the ramp asking drivers for money when the Kia barreled toward them. The two witnesses were not injured.

The victim, a 55-year-old man from Independence, was declared dead at the scene.

After hitting the man, the Kia continued moving forward across the exit ramp lanes before stopping when it hit a metal utility pole, police said.

A man and a woman who were in the Kia then fled the crash scene on foot, police said.

Sunday’s crash marked the 41st traffic fatality this year in Kansas City, according to the police department.