INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (KCTV) – An early morning joyride involving teens and a stolen vehicle ended in a crash killing two people, including a Good Samaritan. The man who police have yet to identify tried helping the teens after their vehicle crashed into a truck on I-70.

A teen in that vehicle also died.

The crash happened around 2:00 a.m. on eastbound I-70 just passed this exit of Lee Summit Road. Independence Police said what started as juveniles riding in a stolen car, turned deadly for one of the passengers. Later, a second collision followed after a Good Samaritan was killed stopping to help.

Overnight, a stretch of I-70 was shut down after five juveniles in a Chevy Equinox went off the road hitting a rock embankment which flipped their car back onto the highway and into a collision with a Ford F-150.

One of the passengers in the Chevy died while the others were rushed to the hospital.

“Anytime people have juveniles or kids that are involved in crime, know where your kids are at night, know what they’re doing,” Independence Police Public Information Officer Jack Taylor said. “We have curfews out here for a reason. Nothing good ever happens after midnight. There’s no reason to be out unless you’re coming home from work.”

The driver of the F-150 remained at the scene and didn’t suffer serious injuries. But after the crash another driver passing by attempted to help the minors in the Chevy but was struck by another vehicle in the process and died at the scene.

“If you’re going to do that you really have to pay attention and be careful,” Taylor warned. “Even (law enforcement), when we’re out on scenes like that we’re wearing reflective gear, we have lights on our vehicles and still we have people crash into our vehicles.”

In 2022, the Missouri Highway Patrol reported 118 Pedestrians were hit and killed across the state. While each case was in a different setting, people are urged to first call 9-1-1 then think long and hard if you’re able to help without putting yourself in danger.

“Is there passing traffic? The time of day, is it daytime or nighttime? The person’s visibility? Are they going to be seen by passing traffic or people driving by?,” Cpl. Justin Ewing said. “There’s also things to consider with the crash itself? If there’s powerlines down or something else involved that makes it extremely dangerous?”

In the State of Missouri, there is no Good Samaritan Law that requires anyone driving past an accident to stop and physically intervene with those involved. Even if there aren’t any emergency vehicles on scene, drivers should still move over one lane if there’s room and reduce speed.

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