The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) says that troopers responded to almost 350 crashes in southeastern Missouri in less than 24 hours while winter weather conditions made roadways slick and treacherous.
Numerous Pileup Crashes Kill Two, Hurt Dozens Of People
According to MSHP, between noon on Sunday and 6 a.m. on Monday, troopers responded to 348 crashes and 534 calls for service. These crashes left two people dead and more than 50 injured.
MSHP says that the actual number of crashes was likely much higher because the 348 figure only included counties with in Troop D, which does not include Rolla.
The worst of the crashes occurred on I-44 in Marshfield. Police say that between 50 and 100 vehicles were involved in a chain reaction crash that happened near mile marker 106. A 55 year old California-based truck driver was killed in the crash. Though the interstate was shut down for about 12 hours for cleanup and recovery, transportation officials were able to reopen I-44 around 5 a.m. today.
You can take a look at incredible drone footage of the crash scene in the video below.
A separate twelve vehicle pileup on I-44 at mile marker 138.2 around 3 p.m. claimed the life of 63 year old motorist Deborah Anderson. Four tractor trailers were involved in this crash.
Approximately 30 vehicles piled up on eastbound I-44 at mile marker 186 in Rolla, according to Missouri troopers.
Facebook user Ashley Rozane was involved in the crash near Rolla and shared several unbelievable images from the scene. Rozane was en route to a Super Bowl party when the crash occurred. The pickup truck she was traveling in came to a stop on top of a semi truck after the crash. Ten people were injured in this pileup.
Rozane said that she didn’t blame any of the other drivers in the crash. She told the Bellville News-Democrat, “This was Mother Nature. The snow came so fast and the roads were so slick. Right before the accident my husband and I were just saying we didn’t even know it was supposed to snow today.”