Missouri Highway Patrol: troopers handled 1,054 crashes over two days

Winter storms always cause a spike in wrecks, but the Missouri State Highway Patrol is raising concerns about the massive number of accidents that occurred over a two-day period this week.

Heavy snow, along with sleet in some locations, blanketed much of the state Tuesday and Wednesday. Some areas got nearly a foot of snow. Officially, Columbia had 5.4 inches. Parts of I-70 shutdown after 10 tractor trailers and 12 other vehicles blocked lanes around the 131 mile-marker near the Lake of the Woods exit. Streets, roads and highways statewide were a mess, prompting hundreds of schools and even many colleges to call off classes, including the University of Missouri.

The Highway Patrol typically handles about 100 accidents per day. On Tuesday and Wednesday, troopers investigated a combined 1,054 wrecks. Ninety-six people were hurt and two killed.

Patrol Superintendent Ron Replogle urges people to stay off the roads when conditions are dangerous.