Kansas City police say illegally parked semi-trailers may be to blame for woman’s death

The Kansas City Police Department is investigating whether illegally parked semi-trailers could be to blame for a fatal semi vs. car crash that claimed the life of a woman on Saturday.

Tragedy that illegal parking blocked a stop sign and now family/friends grieve the death of Yvonne Douglas @kcstar https://t.co/695daFuMkZ

— Grace Hobson (@gmhobson) October 25, 2017

KCPD: Illegally Parked Trailers Blocked Stop Sign

The crash took place on Northeast 40th Street and Northeast Kimball Drive just before 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Fifty-three year old Yvonne Douglas was reportedly traveling in a Kia Soul eastbound on 40th Street at the same time that a white Freightliner was driving north on Kimball Drive.

Because several trailers were parked in a no parking zone on 40th Street, police say that Douglas could not see a stop sign and entered the intersection without stopping. The Freightliner crashed into the Kia, striking the passenger side. The Kia rolled as a result of the impact.

Douglas was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Her son Ian Douglas, who was also in the Kia, is in critical condition.

The truck driver was not injured.

Following the crash, two of the illegally parked trailers were ticketed and towed.

The Kansas City Police Department’s Matt Phelps noted that “this illegal parking problem does drastically reduce the line-of-sight for eastbound motorists of not only the traffic on N. Kimball Drive but also the stop signs posted at the intersection.”

Residents Say That Illegally Parked Trailers Have Been A Problem For Years

According to a report in the Kansas City Star, illegally parked trailers have been an ongoing problem in the area for some time. That report claims that CEVA Logistics, located on Kimball Drive, instructs their drivers to park the trailers on 40th Street when there isn’t enough room on the company’s lot.

Here’s a Google Street View image captured near the scene of the fatal crash.

The incident remains under investigation.