Two young brothers from Missouri were killed in a horrific crash last week after finding the keys to their grandmother’s car and getting behind the wheel, according to news reports.
The children, ages 6 and 7, drove away from the home around 4:20 p.m. Friday in a rural area east of Kansas City. They were inexplicably in their grandmother’s 2007 Buick Lacrosse, the Missouri Highway Patrol said.
The 7-year-old was steering, and the younger brother was reportedly in the passenger seat. Investigators are working to explain how.
Authorities said the car was traveling at a high rate of speed and went airborne more than once as it crossed through a field and violently onto a county road, according to NBC's TODAY Show.
The vehicle next struck a guardrail and a tree before flipping, landing upside down and bursting into flames.
The siblings, who have not been named, were pronounced dead at the scene.
“It’s pretty unique to say the least and devastating,” said MHP spokeman Andy Bell, according to TODAY. “We believe that speed had to have been a contributing factor for them to have traveled, flipped, et cetera.”
Police did not say if anyone witnessed the accident.
Photos from the scene show multiple emergency vehicles parked along the side of the road with flashing lights.
Jackson County Sheriff’s Department officials are investigating along with the highway patrol, according to reports.
About the Author
