Kansas City police said the accident happened around 8:30 a.m. at the intersection of 18th and Benton. Police determined the postal vehicle, traveling eastbound, collided with a Chrysler passenger vehicle, which was traveling southbound. The intersection is a four-way stop controlled by signs.
A man who works at Golden Gate Funeral Chapel located at the intersection told FOX 4’s Megan Brilley he saw the postal vehicle run the stop sign and hit the Chrysler as it was getting ready to turn onto Benton.
“He was getting ready to make a left turn, and the U.S. Postal truck came and ran the stop sign and hit the right side of the car,” Frank Savory, witness, said. “I seen the car smack right here into the utility pole and that’s when I got on the phone and dialed 911.”
Savory said the wife of one of his colleagues rushed over to the car. Savory said she witnessed little kids with “blood everywhere.”
The 13-year-old boy and three other children, ranging in age from six to 10, were transported to an area hospital. The 13-year-old boy later died. A 30-year-old driver of the Chrysler sustained non-life threatening injuries.
The 59-year-old driver of the postal vehicle was not injured.
Savory said he believes the children in the car were brothers on their way to a basketball game.
“It was very heart breaking,” he said. “We just thank God that no one else was injured as well. It’s sad and tragic that he had to lose his life, but from the way the car looked and everything, you would have thought that everyone in the car was deceased.”
Savory said the whole passenger side and back of the vehicle was “caved in — like how you step on a soda can.”
Savory said he’s uncertain how fast the postal truck was traveling, but the damage to the car was extensive.
“It was driving fast enough to crush their car and that car was an older vehicle, and you know those vehicles, it takes a lot for them to actually get crushed, so he was going pretty fast,” he said. “He did not stop, whatsoever.”
Savory said after the accident, the driver of the postal truck got out of the vehicle and was visibly distraught.
“It wasn’t like he hopped out of the car and didn’t care, he was really jacked up,” Savory said.
During Savory’s interview with FOX 4, another vehicle ran the same stop sign.
“Like that car right there that just ran the stop sign,” he said pointing to a gray colored sedan. “Just ran the stop sign and that car almost hit it. It was just like that.”
The boy’s name has not been released at this time. It’s unclear at this time if the driver of the postal vehicle will face charges. We’ll update this story with any information that becomes available.