WINTER STORM UPDATES: Man dies after getting hit by semi early Monday on I-70
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A 40-year-old man died Monday morning after he was hit by a semi-truck in the westbound lane of Interstate 70 in Callaway County by mile marker 145, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.
The crash occurred when Jonas Baptiste, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, got out of his vehicle and was hit by a 2023 Freightliner driven by Marcus Boards, 42, of Escondido, California, according to the report. An MSHP spokesman told ABC 17 News that Baptiste was in another crash before exiting his vehicle.
The report states the Freightliner then went off the right side of the road and stopped. The crash occurred at 1:51 a.m. Baptiste was brought to Maupin Funeral Home in Fulton, the report states.
The Freightliner had extensive damage, according to the report. Boards had no reported injuries.
Lane closures announced for I-70 near Kingdom City to remove crashed vehicles
Lanes will be narrowed on Interstate 70 near Kingdom City to remove vehicles from the median, according to a Tweet from the Missouri Department of Transportation.
One lane will be closed in each direction near mile marker 145.
A Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman told ABC 17 News that crashes occurred earlier in the day and lane reductions are occurring so tow trucks can remove the vehicles.
ALERT: I-70 at mile marker 145 in Callaway County, near Kingdom City, will be narrowed to one lane in each direction TONIGHT, Jan. 22, between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.
— MoDOT Central District (@MoDOT_Central) January 22, 2024
Use extra caution, as crews will be working close to the open lane of traffic to remove vehicles from the median. pic.twitter.com/Iq6P82zGfA
Columbia Public Schools, Jefferson City School District to have two-hour delayed starts Tuesday
Columbia Public Schools announced in an email that it will have a two-hour delayed start on Tuesday.
Buses will pick up students two hours later than their original pick-up times, according to the email.
The email states that the additional time in the morning will allow the school district to treat its parking lots and walkways.
In addition, the Jefferson City School District will also have a two-hour delay on Tuesday, the district wrote in an email. Snow routes for Jefferson City buses in Callaway County will run snow routes.
Stay up to date with all area closings and delays with our closings and delays page on our website. A number of districts, including Fulton Public Schools have called off classes for Tuesday.
Troopers sent to more than 200 calls on Mid-Missouri highways
State troopers in Mid-Missouri have been sent to more than 200 calls since Monday began.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol's Troop F posted on social media that troopers had been sent to 215 calls between midnight and 2 p.m. Those calls involved 151 stranded drivers and five injury crashes.
Troopers were called to one fatal crash, which involved tractor-trailers and shut down Interstate 70 westbound near Kingdom City for several hours early Monday. The patrol has not identified who died or provided the circumstances of the crash.
🚨UPDATE: As of midnight (Monday), Troop F has handled:
— MSHP Troop F (@MSHPTrooperF) January 22, 2024
Calls For Service: 215
Stranded Motorists: 151
Non-Injury Crashes: 51
Injury Crashes: 5
Fatal Crashes: 1
Roadway conditions are treacherous. Unless absolutely necessary, please stay home, stay warm and stay safe. pic.twitter.com/sLPR8RVR5x
MoDOT warns roads still slick
While rising temperatures had begun to melt ice from Mid-Missouri roads by late morning Monday, transportation officials still cautioned people to drive carefully, if at all.
The Missouri Department of Transportation's traveler information map showed state highways in Mid-Missouri either covered or partly covered in ice just before noon Monday. Freezing rain coated the area overnight into mid-morning.
Icy conditions are still present across much of the state. Continue to use caution if you must be out and about today. Take it slow, always wear your seat belt, and always focus on the road. Check the Traveler Information Map before you go: https://t.co/fvVRsDlqzr pic.twitter.com/E2DQpFHEsy
— MoDOT (@MoDOT) January 22, 2024
Highway 54 between Mexico and Jefferson City appeared to be the most covered, according to the map.
The City of Columbia had a 19-person crew out Monday and officials expected roads to be easily drivable by afternoon. City buses were expected to start their routes at noon.
Columbia Solid Waste trash pickup delayed by ice
Columbia Solid Waste said Monday morning that trash pickup routes will be run, they'll just be late.
Trash pickup is taking place on a delayed start, the utility said in a news release. Officials decided to wait for temperatures to rise and for ice to begin melting before starting the routes, the release says.
Any Monday routes that can't be run will be picked up "over the next few days" the city says.
Troopers field more than 100 calls amid freezing rain
Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers in Mid-Missouri were called to nearly 130 calls between midnight and 8 a.m. Monday.
The patrol's Troop F posted on social media that troopers had gone to 127 calls for service and helped 80 stranded drivers. Five crashes involved injuries and one involved a death.
🚨UPDATE: As of midnight (Monday), Troop F has handled:
— MSHP Troop F (@MSHPTrooperF) January 22, 2024
Calls For Service: 127
Stranded Motorists: 80
Non-Injury Crashes: 34
Injury Crashes: 5
Fatal Crashes: 1
Roadway conditions are treacherous. Unless absolutely necessary, please stay home, stay warm and stay safe. pic.twitter.com/xa95piuZ4B
At least one person was killed in a crash involving tractor-trailers on Interstate 70 near Kingdom City in Callaway County. The crash closed the westbound lanes for several hours.
Other details were not available Monday morning.
Conditions close Rock Quarry Road in Columbia
A Columbia road was shut down Monday morning amid slick conditions.
Rock Quarry Road, a curvy, hilly road that winds through Columbia near the University of Missouri campus and south, was closed amid the icy conditions, emergency dispatchers said at about 9:30 a.m. It wasn't clear if or how many crashes had occurred there.
CPD implements 'delayed crash report protocol;
The Columbia Police Department announced Monday morning they are implementing the delayed crash report protocol due to weather conditions.
In a Facebook post, the department said they will only be responding to crashes involving serious injuries or criminal elements.
If you are involved in a non-emergency accident, CPD asks you to call 311 or report it online.
Columbia police are asking drivers to slow down, increase the distance between cars, accelerate and decelerate slowly, and wear a seatbelt as hazardous weather continues.
A tractor-trailer crash closed down westbound Interstate 70 near Kingdom City in Callaway County on Monday morning. Boone County emergency dispatchers said in a public alert that crashes and stalled vehicles were being reported throughout the county before 7 a.m.
The Missouri Department of Transportation traveler information map showed roads ice-covered through most of the state. Temperatures aren't expected to climb above freezing until afternoon.
Meanwhile, schools and businesses around Mid-Missouri were closed Monday, working remotely or starting late.
MoDOT asked drivers to stay off the roads through midday, especially the stretch of Interstate 70 between Kingdom City and Wentzville, where slide-offs are plentiful.
With continued freezing rain, please avoid travel through midday. Especially avoid I-70 between Kingdom City (MM148) and Wentzville (MM 208) where there are multiple crashes and closures. Check the map for more details: https://t.co/fvVRsDlqzr pic.twitter.com/rzkmwgwpe5
— MoDOT (@MoDOT) January 22, 2024
