SLICK ROADS CAUSE MAJOR MULT-CAR PILEUPS NEAR KANSAS CITY

(Above) Emergency crews begin removing wreckage from a 40-car pileup near Kansas City. (Courtesy of Chris Oberholtz, the Kansas City Star)

Surprise squalls of snow along with heavy winds wreaked havoc on highways near Kansas City on Valentine’s Day. At least two multi-car pileups occured that involved nearly 100 vehicles in all. These major accidents came on the heels of a deadly 30-car pileup in the area on Saturday morning caused by fog.

In Wyandotte County, a slick bridge sparked a pileup that involved over 40 vehicles along Interstate 70. Over 50 injuries were reported but none were serious. The busy interstate was closed for almost six hours while crews removed the twisted wreckage.

On the south side of the Metropolitan area, a 30-car pileup was also reported along I-35 in Johnson County. At least 12 were sent to the hospital with minor injuries while it took nearly four hours to complete the cleanup. A large upper-level system was responsible for the intermittent heavy snow showers and high winds.