Springfield police believe speeding and alcohol were factors in a five-vehicle crash Saturday morning that left one person dead.
The crash happened at 7:03 a.m. at Kansas Expressway and Sunshine Avenue.
According to a news release from the Springfield Police Department, a juvenile driving a 2015 Chrysler southbound on Kansas Expressway entered the intersection at Sunshine Avenue, hitting a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu driven by 37-year-old Jonathan Wright of Crane.
The collision caused the Malibu and Chrysler to hit a 2011 Mazda 3, a 2003 Honda Accord and a 2008 Buick Lucerne.
Wright was pronounced dead at the scene and his family has been notified.
The driver of the Mazda was transported to a Springfield hospital with what police classified as moderate injuries. A passenger of the Chrysler was transported to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
The circumstances of the crash are under investigation, the release said.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call the Springfield Police Department at 417-864-1810 or make an anonymous call to Crime Stoppers at 417-469-TIPS.
This was Springfield’s 15th motor vehicle fatality in 2023.
