ON INTERSTATE 70
A 19-year-old Platte City man was killed in a crash on Interstate 70 on Sunday evening.
The crash occurred at 6:45 p.m. on westbound I-70 around the 74 mile marker in Saline County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Michael P. Stephenson of Platte City was driving a 2008 Ford F-250 pickup. According to the highway patrol, Stephenson’s vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck the guardrail. Upon impact with the guardrail, Stephenson–who was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the crash report–was ejected from the vehicle into the roadway. Stephenson was then struck by a westbound 2024 Freightliner driven by Brandon J. Lathrop, 22, of Oro Valley, Ariz.
Stephenson was pronounced dead at the scene by the Saline County Coroner. The Saline County Sheriff’s Department assisted the highway patrol at the scene.