KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Three days later and police still seek answers in a weekend party bus accident.
A 26-year-old woman died after falling out of the bus along I-35. On Wednesday, friends and family are gathering to raise support for her loved ones.
Jamie Frecks left behind a fiancee and six-week-old baby girl. People are gathering at Kansas City’s Loose Park to collect donations for her family and provide support for one another during a trying time.
Trooper Howard Dickinson from the Kansas Highway Patrol said he wants to be thorough with this investigation.
“We spend a lot of time crossing our ‘Ts’ and dotting our ‘I’s’. We want to make sure we have all the information we can before we move on,” Dickinson said. “Fatalities are pretty big investigations no matter. Whether it’s a single car, or anything that happens.”
So far, Dickinson said he has had very few tips related to Saturday evening’s accident when Frecks fell from a party bus. She and 15 friends were out for a bachelorette party. Police say they still are not certain how she fell out of that bus’ emergency door.
“Now that we have a little more information, we’re going to go ahead and try to put those pieces together,” Dicksinson said.
Dickinson says the only information from outside the bus comes from the second driver whose car struck Jamie.
“They came in voluntarily. They came back to the scene or contacted us. They knew something had happened.”
Dickinson said an expert specializing in bus-related investigations is due to examine the bus in question and his agency is still hopeful for information from the public.
“What did you see? Did you see a car ahead of you that swerved and then you swerved out of the way to miss it?,” he said. “Your information is what we’re looking for. Nothing else at this time.”
Attorneys are looking for answers, too. Debbie Elmer’s company Midnight Express operates the party bus in question.
On Wednesday, the Overland Park law firm they’ve hired emailed a statement. To summarize, “Ms. Elmer and the owners of Midnight Express are trying to find out how this terrible accident could have happened.” The statement also says Elmer and her company have been fully cooperating in the investigation.
It could take anywhere between one to two months to complete a report related to an accident like this one, Dickinson said.
