KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have placed linebackers coach Britt Reid, son of head coach Andy Reid, on administrative leave after a crash last week that left two children injured, one of the critically.
The younger Reid is under investigation for driving impaired after police say he was involved in a three-vehicle crash Thursday night near Arrowhead Stadium.
A 5-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries in that crash that happened just after 9 p.m., on the ramp to enter southbound Interstate 435 from Stadium Drive.
The Chiefs issued the following statement early Tuesday evening:
“Outside Linebackers Coach Britt Reid has been placed on administrative leave following last Thursday’s multi-vehicle accident. We remain in the process of gathering information on the incident, and we will continue to assist local authorities as requested.
Our focus remains on Ariel Young and her family. We have reached out to the family to offer our support and resources to them during this difficult time, and we will continue to pray for her recovery.”
While there are no names in the crash report, sister station WDAF obtained court documents last week that match the details of the crash and say that Britt Reid told officers he was driving the pickup truck involved in the incident, one noting that his eyes were bloodshot, and he had a moderate odor of alcohol. Britt Reid told the officer he had between two and three drinks and was on a prescription for Adderall.
The officer conducted an initial and full sobriety test and saw four clues of impairment. Officers requested and received a search warrant to draw Britt Reid’s blood.
Police say a driver in a Chevrolet Impala on the southbound ramp from Stadium Drive ran out of gas and called family for help. The crash report says their hazard lights were initially flashing, but the car’s battery was dying.
Family arrived in a Chevrolet Traverse SUV and parked south of them with their lights on.
The crash report says a driver in a white Dodge Ram Laramie pickup truck was traveling south on the ramp to get to I-435 when they struck the Impala and then hit the Traverse from behind.
The Impala driver was inside the car and not hurt, and two adults were in the front seats of the Traverse and were not hurt. Two kids in the backseat of the Traverse were hospitalized; a 4-year-old had non-life threatening injuries but the 5-year-old was critically hurt.
The family of that 5-year-old, whose name is Ariel Young, has set up a GoFundMe page. It has far surpassed the original goal of $45,000, exceeding $400,000 as of Tuesday afternoon.
Andy Reid said his son was also injured in the crash and had to undergo surgery.
New records from Tuesday show Kansas City police are also going through Britt Reid’s cellphone.
In a search warrant, investigators indicate 5-year-old Ariel Young’s mother was frantic following the crash and couldn’t find her phone. She pleaded with Reid to call 911. Detectives want to find out if Reid was on the phone at all in the moments before or during impact.
According to the family’s GoFundMe, Ariel remains in critical condition. Her 4-year-old cousin Julianna, who was sitting beside her, is recovering from a concussion and broken nose. The family continues to express their appreciation for the community’s overwhelming prayers and support.
Police say in a typical major crash it takes 30 to 60 days to finish putting the case file together and send it to prosecutors. Then prosecutors can take weeks more to decide on charges.
Among that evidence, we know police drew blood to analyze if Britt Reid was impaired by alcohol and prescription meds at the time of the crash.
“It is our duty and our responsibility to present a clean case file to the prosecutor, and we want justice for this little girl and we want the criminal justice system to work properly,” KCPD Capt. David Jackson said.
