Man charged after deadly I-29 crash

By NewsPress Now

A Topeka, Kansas, man has been charged with three counts of involuntary manslaughter after driving in the wrong direction on Interstate 29, leading to a crash that killed three people.

Kyle Mendez, 34, was traveling north in the southbound lanes of I-29 in a Ford Edge when he struck a Honda Odyssey head on, causing it to travel off the roadway and then strike a concrete barrier, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol crash reports. 

Joel Similien, 55, was the driver of the Odyssey and died in the crash. Sheyla Similien, 54, and Michelet Metellus, 52, who were both passengers in Similien’s vehicle, also died.

Three other passengers in the Odyssey, all listed as being from Kansas City, received various injuries.