PLATTE COUNTY, MO – Authorities said the driver involved in a wrong-way collision that killed three people in Platte County is now facing charges.
According to a KSHB report, the suspect was identified as 34-year-old Kyle Anthony Waymond Mendez of Topeka, Kansas.
The incident happened Thursday morning along Interstate 29 near Maple Leaf Avenue just south of Dearborn, Missouri. The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s investigation determined that Mendez was driving a 2017 Ford Edge SUV south on I-29 shortly after midnight when he crossed the median into the northbound lanes.
The Ford collided head-on with a 2007 Honda Odyssey, causing the Honda to go off the right side of the interstate and crash into a concrete barrier.
Three Kansas City residents in the Honda were killed in the wreck. They were identified as 52-year-old Michelet Metellus, 54-year-old Sheyla Similien and 55-year-old Joel Similien.
Three other passengers in the Honda were hospitalized with serious or moderate injuries, while another passenger’s injuries were not serious.
Mendez allegedly fled the scene but was tracked down after Platte County deputies using a drone spotted him in a nearby field.
Mendez was hospitalized for his injuries and was subsequently charged with three counts of felony involuntary manslaughter and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash.
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