HEAVY RAINSTORM CAUSES SIX ACCIDENTS ON INTERSTATE 55

Six automobile accidents occurred during a heavy rain Tuesday along Interstate 55 between Cape Girardeau and Scott City.

Six other cars swerved into the median to avoid having an accident. Most got stuck when they did so.

There were no serious injuries, said Sgt. Carl Kinnison of the Cape Girardeau Police Department. One woman was taken to a hospital complaining of neck and back pain, Kinnison said.

Kinnison said the first accident led to all of the others. People were either trying to avoid hitting the cars in front of them or swerving into the side railing or median, he said.

The line of wrecked cars stretched for nearly a half-mile.

Firefighters hosed down parts of the interstate where gas flowed from broken lines or tanks. Ambulances raced up and down the highway and police directed slow-moving traffic.

Later, tow trucks began showing up to pull the stuck vehicles back onto the highway.

"It was coming down pretty hard, and people were following too close," said one man who had swerved into the median to avoid hitting a car. The man refused to give his name.