Photo courtesy of MoDOT via Twitter.

A fatal single vehicle wreck involving a City trash truck closed the I-435 northbound on ramp Tuesday morning just after 11:30 a.m.

Emergency crews responded to Front Street at I-435 on a single-vehicle fatal crash involving a city trash truck. Investigation determined that the vehicle had been northbound on the off-ramp from I-435 North to Front when the driver apparently lost control.

The vehicle overturned as it reached the base of the ramp then collided with a concrete barrier separating east and westbound traffic on Front Street.

The vehicle then caught fire with its three-person crew inside. Two occupants were able to escape the vehicle, one with the aid of a KCPD officer who was passing by at the time. Both were transported to an area hospital where one was listed in critical condition and one serious. The remaining occupant died at the scene.

“Our hearts are broken as we mourn the death of a Kansas City employee in a single-vehicle accident involving a garbage truck,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said on Twitter. “Two survivors came out of the wreckage and are hospitalized. I am praying for their recovery and for all families and employees impacted by today’s event.”

“We are grateful for the dedicated public servants who do the difficult and essential work of the City; and we are devastated to lear that one of our own won’t be going home safely at the end of the day today,” City Manager Brian Platt said following the accident. “We hold them all in our thoughts as we grieve this terrible loss.”

Police report that a second crew member, the driver, died later Tuesday from his injuries. He has been identified as 34-year-old Jamaal McDaniel. McDaniel leaves behind his parents, wife and children.

Photo courtesy of City of Kansas City, Mo.

“I am absolutely devastated,” Public Works Director Michael Shaw said. “Our entire team in Solid Waste is shook to the core. I know the guys that are on this truck, and I know their families. We are thankful to KCFD and KCPD for saving lives today. I’ve been with the City for 23 years and we’ve never had a fatality like this. It’s just devastating.”

Lucas expressed his condolences on Twitter to the families of those who died, and asked Kansas Citians to keep the surviving employee in their prayers.

“I am thinking about all our KCMO workers tonight, particularly the ones folks too often don’t thank or think about,” Lucas said on Twitter Tuesday night. “We are blessed to have some damn good people who work for this City each day. We need to stand there with them as they grieve over the time ahead.”

Investigators are still working to confirm the identity on the other deceased victim. This article will be updated when more information is available.