Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog

Another serious car wreck claimed three lives yesterday, including that of a 52 year old Fenton, Missouri man, John Hilkenkamp. According to the highway patrol, a van driven by Kenneth Harris of Overland Park, Kansas crossed the center median of highway 435 in Kansas City into the opposite lanes of traffic, crashing head on into two other vans.

The Kansas Highway Patrol believes Mr. Harris may have had a medical condition which may have caused this serious car crash, however this is unconfirmed at this time. Police are trying to determine what each of the victims were doing before the crash.

Hilkenkamp was in Kansas City for a soccer tournament with his family. His son and wife were injured in the car crash, but the extent of their injuries is unknown at this time.

Ironically, one of the killed was minister Janet McNamara of Lees Summit, Missouri, who had just finished presiding over a funeral in the Kansas City area.

According to the highway patrol, all three vans burst into flames after impact. Ordinarily, vehicles involved in a car crash do not burst into flames. Attorneys for the victims will most likely investigate the cause of the fire. In the past, faulty fuel tanks have been blamed in product liability lawsuits for causing fires. There is no word whether the vans' fuel tanks were defective.

Authorities said an autopsy is scheduled for Mr. Harris to determine whether seizures may have been the culprit in causing this car wreck. Witnesses stated they saw Mr. Harris slumped over the steering wheel prior to running off the roadway. There was no barrier in the roadway to prevent crossover vehicles.