Two victims of the deadly wrong-way crash that occurred on July 11 on Interstate 29 have retained personal injury firm Morgan & Morgan to investigate the incident.
“We have been retained to represent two of the victims of this deadly crash that never should have happened,” said attorneys John Morgan and J. Matthew French in a statement. “One of our clients has had his life forever altered by this collision, and the other never made it home from work that night. As our investigation unfolds, we are committed to getting justice for our clients and holding those who are responsible for this tragedy accountable for their actions.”
Kyle Anthony Waymon Mendez, 34, has been charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter in the first degree and leaving the scene of an accident. Mendez is currently being held without bond.
Mendez
Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said the charges were filed on July 11 following an investigation of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, assisted by the Platte County Sheriff’s Department.
According to the Morgan and Morgan statement, the people in the car were family and coworkers who were on their way home from work. Morgan & Morgan has been retained by the family of one of the passengers who was killed in the crash as well as one of the passengers who was injured and transported to the hospital from the scene.
According to court documents, shortly after midnight, troopers and deputies went to a crash on I-29 near the 29-mile marker near Dearborn. A black Ford Edge allegedly traveling northbound in the southbound lanes had struck a silver Honda Odyssey head on. According to the Highway Patrol report, while en route the responding officer heard a report from a witness who saw the Edge cross the median and begin traveling north in the southbound lanes.
Three people in the Odyssey were killed. Four other occupants of the Odyssey were transported to hospitals. The driver of the Ford was not at the scene.
The driver of the Odyssey, Joel Similien, 55, of Kansas City, died at the scene. Two other occupants of the vehicle, Sheyla Similien, 54, and Michelet Metellus, 52, both of Kansas City,were also pronounced dead at the scene.
Platte County sheriff’s deputies attempted to locate the driver of the Ford using a drone, but they were initially unsuccessful. A Highway Patrol K9 officer was also deployed but was unable to find the suspect. A check of the vehicle’s plates located the owners of the Ford Edge, Mendez’s grandparent. They told Kansas City, Kan. police that he had taken the vehicle without permission the previous day and had not returned it.
At about 8 a.m., court documents indicate a deputy using a drone located Mendez in a bean field using a stick to hold himself up. According to the Platte County Sheriff’s Office, Detective Mathew Fleishans received an update about the crash and called Sgt. Katherine Smith to ask for permission to stop at the crash location on his way to work to see if he could find anything with his drone. Permission was granted and Fleishans began his search with the assistance of Deputy Adam Raybuck.
Fleishans used his drone and flew it along the tree line west of I-29. Det. Fleishans located the hit and run driver in thick underbrush in the tree line.
Mendez was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital and told police he was traveling to St. Joseph to meet with a couple when the accident occurred. While on the way, Mendez told police he changed his mind and turned into the median. Now traveling north in the southbound lanes, Mendez told police he was confused because he believed he was on a two-way road. He realized he was traveling the wrong way on the highway just before the collision and fled the scene because he didn’t think anyone would believe his story.
If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Mendez faces up to 10 years in prison on each count. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of leaving the scene of the accident.