June 4, 2004

SUV Hits, Kills Man, Flees Scene

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Police officers on Friday afternoon were
trying to find a driver who hit a man with a sport utility
vehicle and then drove away.

KCTV5's Robb Yagmin reported live on "KCTV5 News at 4 p.m."
that the speed limit on Independence Avenue at Norton Avenue
was 35 miles per hour, but witnesses said Thursday night,
the SUV flew over a hill and hit Chris Huston as he was
trying to cross the street.

"He was a real good guitar player, and I've heard a lot ...
He thought he could, but no, no, he wasn't that good at
singing," said Chris Hiler, the man's friend.

One of the last thing's the 40-year-old did in his life was
sing.  He signed up to perform "She Talks to Angels" by the
Black Crowes at B.B. Wolf's karaoke night.

"I think that ...  I mean, it's meaningful to me that to
know that, you know, I was one of the last persons that he
spoke with," said Rhianda McAnany, the karaoke manager.
"It's kind of hard."

Mark Hughes said he witnessed the wreck.

"An SUV, a Ford Explorer, came flying over the hill,"
Hughes said.

He said Huston saw the SUV coming and tried to turn around
to get back onto the sidewalk, but he "got hit and went up
underneath the car."

Huston died at the scene.  He was found 125 feet from where
the SUV hit him.

The driver didn't even brake, Robb Yagmin reported.

"Accidents happen.  They do, and you need to take
responsibility for your actions, and I just think it's
a sad situation, you know," McAnany said.

"He had that artist thing, you know, just free spirit artist
thing, and yeah, I'll miss him," Hiler said.

Police asked anyone who had any information or knew anyone
with a dark-colored SUV with new front end damage that might
have been at Independence Avenue and Norton Avenue Thursday
night to call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS.

------- From Dan's son Steven in an email: ----------------

"Yes he was.....he walked away without a scratch.  Chris has
 been tempting death for a long long time now.  He was
 basically homeless from what the Sgt from the Kansas City
 Police department told me.  He was a star that never rose.

"A lot of the tapes you listen to with Scott on them were
 recorded by Chris and Scott together in Grandma's house with
 the radio shack gear Scott borrowed.  A lot of the songs
 have two guitars playing...the other guitar is Chris.  He
 was in my first real band "Rebel Force".

"It's very sad...I'll miss him a lot.  I always wanted to
 help save him but he was a true "free spirit" that could
 never be held down by our society's rules or "normal
 behavior".  [Steve]

Note from Dan: Chris Huston was in the car with my sons
               Brian and Scott when it crashed on Blue
               River Road October 9th 1983.  Scott was
               killed but both Brian and Chris survived.

EOF