Four dead in I-70 crash
Westbound Interstate 70 was shut down Wednesday afternoon at mile marker 133 just outside Columbia after a fatal crash involving six total vehicles, including two tractor-trailers and at least two passenger vehicles.
Four people were killed in the crash, including one of the tractor-trailer drivers, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Scott White said. At least one person suffered serious injuries from the crash and was undergoing surgery. The crash happened at about noon. The patrol did not identified the people killed in the crash and said in a tweet that it was trying to contact two of their families.
Both westbound lanes opened a little before 4:30 p.m.
Boone County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Gale Blomenkamp said earlier that two people in separate passenger vehicles were killed in the crash and two people were taken to University Hospital with serious injuries. It wasn’t immediately clear if the third fatality was one of the people taken to the hospital
White said a tanker truck was involved in the crash but its tanker was not breached.
The Missouri Department of Transportation reported a tractor trailer fire at mile marker 131 and a more serious crash at mile marker 133. Traffic was being diverted onto Route Z. Traffic was backed up for about 2 to 3 miles a little before 1 p.m., MoDOT tweeted.
Blomenkamp said the fatal crash was caused by backed up traffic from the fire on a tractor-trailer hauling cars.
#I70UPDATE: Both westbound lanes & one eastbound lane remain closed at mile marker 133 due to a vehicle crash. Traffic in both directions backed up 2-3 miles. Westbound traffic being diverted to the Outer Road at Rte Z (exit 133). Avoid the area, or expect significant delays. pic.twitter.com/ptNa3BD11L
— MoDOT Central Dist (@MoDOT_Central) November 14, 2018
The crash was reported at about noon and the Missouri Department of Transportation’s traveler information map initially said delays were expected for about an hour. However, the Boone County Fire Protection District indicated the scene might not be clear for several hours.
I-70W just west of Route Z in eastern Boone County will be shutdown for several hours do to a multiple vehicle crash. 12:49p pic.twitter.com/klVbyym3Yv
— Boone County Fire (@BooneCountyFire) November 14, 2018
Look for more on this developing story.
