Two persons were killed and five others were injured on Tuesday, October 27th, when a vehicle traveling westbound on I-70 hydroplaned in Callaway County, near the Kingdom City exit, at approximately 9:15 a.m. What resulted thereafter was a tragic domino effect that involved a head-collision and a total of seven vehicles.
Following the inciting hydroplaning incident, a nearby tractor-trailer swerved to avoid striking the out-of-control vehicle, a pickup truck. When doing so, the driver of the semi reportedly also lost control and crossed the median into the eastbound lanes of traffic and collided with a different pickup truck and another semi-truck. The sudden stoppage of traffic resulted in one additional tractor-trailer and three other vehicles crashing into the jumble of wreckage. Both drivers of the tractor-trailers that collided head-on were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by authorities. The five additional injured parties were transported to the University Hospital in Columbia.
Incidents like the one that unfolded in Callaway County Tuesday morning are unfortunately fairly common on Mid-Missouri’s major roadways. The presence of one driving hazard, such as recent rainfall, can be impetus enough for a serious accident to occur; when rainfall, high traffic volume, high rates of speed, and multiple over-the-road vehicles are all factors, the combination can be deadly.
AAA Exchange suggests the following guidelines for safe travel in adverse weather conditions:
- Avoid cruise control.
- Reduce travel speed.
- Allow additional distance between vehicles.
- If hydroplaning does occur, avoid braking suddenly and continue to steer into the desired direction of travel.
Citations
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/local/two-truckers-dead-after-i–pileup/article_93373e44-f2de-5fd8-8796-7376bfa27aaa.html
http://krcgtv.com/news/local/traffic-backed-up-in-all-i-70-lanes-due-to-traffic-crash
http://exchange.aaa.com/safety/roadway-safety/wet-weather-driving-tips/#.VjPZUzQq-31