KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man on a motorcycle died in a crash during rush hour on Wednesday evening.

It happened in the southbound lane of Missouri Highway 71 near East 143rd Street around 5 p.m.

Authorities said a motorcycle driven by Nick Nichols Sr., 56, of Raytown, and a minivan crashed. Nichols died at an area hospital.

Police shut down all but one lane of traffic, backing up commuters for several miles.

Accident investigators spent about two and a half hours at the scene trying to figure out exactly what happened. They have not yet released details on what led to the wreck.