3 people, including Kearney teens, killed in I-29 crash following police pursuit

WATSON, Mo. (KCTV) - On Sunday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to a fatal, four-vehicle crash in the northwest corner of the state, near the Iowa border.

The crash happened at 7:22 a.m. on Nov. 17 about 6 miles north of Watson, Missouri.

Initial reports stated that a 29-year-old man in a Kia Sorento was driving north on I-29 when he hit the front of a 2013 Ford Focus going the opposite way.

The Kia continued across the southbound lanes of I-29 and drove off the west side of I-29, hitting a bridge abutment and catching fire. The Ford also went off the west side of the road, flipping and ejecting one of its occupants.

A third vehicle, a Volvo VNL semi-truck driving north, swerved to avoid the first crash and hit a fourth car, a southbound Chevrolet Tahoe. Both vehicles went off the west side of the road and came to a rest in the median.

Later details revealed that the 29-year-old man in the Kia was being pursued for a criminal violation. He was driving south in the northbound lanes of I-29 to evade the Chevrolet Tahoe, which was a Freemont County, Iowa, sheriff’s patrol car.

The 29-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. His 1-year-old enger was moderately injured and taken to an Iowa hospital in an ambulance.

The Ford was carrying three 18-year-olds from Kearney, Missouri, who were recent graduates of Kearney High School. The driver and one enger were killed. The third enger was airlifted to a hospital in Nebraska with serious injuries.

In a statement, the Kearney School District offered its condolences to the teens’ families,

Kearney Mayor Randy Pogue also posted his condolences to the families of those killed, stating “The loss of two Kearney Bulldogs in the traffic accident yesterday up North has shaken our community. May courage and hope be the steadfast companions of both families, friends, and all who mourn.”

The 32-year-old driving the Freemont County sheriff’s vehicle was only minorly injured and taken to an Iowa hospital for treatment.

The driver of the semi-truck was not injured. His vehicle was moderately damaged, but all three cars were totaled.

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