Family of man killed in pileup on I-435 in Kansas City sue truck company

Family members of a 51-year-old man killed in a crash last week on Interstate 435 in Kansas City have filed a wrongful death suit against a trucking company, saying its driver is responsible for causing a highway pileup that involved six vehicles.

The civil suit was filed Tuesday in Jackson County Circuit Court on behalf of the mother and two children of Joey Schweinfurth, the man killed in the crash. It calls for damages associated with Schweinfurth’s death as well as expenses and other relief.

The lawsuit contends a blowout of the truck’s front left tire could have been prevented through proper maintenance. It also says the driver failed to respond to the situation in a way that would have prevented death or injury.

Named as defendants in the lawsuit are truck driver Jeffrey L. Ory, of Kingsville, and Ballance Contracting Services, a company based in Odessa, Missouri. A call placed by The Star to the business owner on Tuesday afternoon seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Kansas City police have said they responded to the crash shortly before 8:30 a.m. on July 5 on I-435 near 87th Street. Crash investigators found that a red Kenworth dump truck was traveling north on the highway when its left front tire blew out, sending the truck off the road and through the center median.

The truck crossed through jersey cables, the highway’s barrier to prevent crossing into oncoming traffic, and struck three other vehicles, including Schweinfurth’s pickup truck. A van rear-ended another vehicle in connection with the crash.

Schweinfurth was pronounced dead at the scene. Another passenger was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and the driver of the Kansas City work truck was also treated for serious injuries.

In a statement Tuesday, Brittany Sanders Robb, an attorney representing the Schweinfurth’s family, said his loved ones are seeking answers “as they are devastated by Joey’s death.”

“Either that tire was not properly inspected or the driver had no training on how to handle a blowout,” Robb said, adding that unsafe operation of heavy equipment poses “a danger to all innocent Missourians using our roadways.”