I-55 at Diversion Channel sees its share of fatal accidents

The three-vehicle collision Wednesday on Interstate 55 near the Diversion Channel bridge was horrific by almost any standard.

But in that area of the interstate south of Cape Girardeau, it's not that uncommon, either.

Sarah Iler, 26, of Cape Girardeau was killed when she was thrown from her Chevrolet Trail Blazer. Iler was 39 weeks pregnant. An emergency cesarean section was performed at Saint Francis Medical Center, and the baby, Maddyson, was saved.

Iler's sister, Kaysea, said Maddyson was in critical condition but improving on a gofundme.com page intended to pay for Iler's funeral.

Iler's husband, Matt Rider, also was thrown during the rollover crash and was taken to a St. Louis hospital for treatment for his injuries. A driver of second vehicle, a Nissan Armada, was taken by a personal vehicle to the hospital.

All told, the collision involved three cars -- with a tanker truck making the initial impact -- and created two serious injuries and a fatality.

These types of accidents are relatively common at the Diversion Channel area just south of Cape Girardeau. According to Missouri State Highway Patrol traffic-accident records by area for Cape Girardeau, there were two other fatal accidents in that area: June 14, 2015, and Sept. 13, 2013. The 2013 accident also caused an injury in addition to the fatality.

Of the seven injury accidents at the Diversion Channel bridge area, three caused injuries in the same collision: three people were injured Sept. 16, 2013, three people were injured Dec. 13, 2011, and two people were injured Nov. 10, 2015.

Since 2011, there have been 41 injury accidents on I-55 in Cape Girardeau, and the Diversion Channel area accounted for 17 percent of those accidents.

Nineteen accidents occurred at Highway 74 or south, about 46 percent of the total.

In total, there were 14 accidents where multiple people were injured, and the Diversion Channel area accounts for about 21 percent of those accidents. Counting the accident Wednesday, three of four fatal accidents on I-55 in Cape Girardeau since 2013 were in the Diversion Channel area.

Missouri Department of Transportation area engineer Brian Okenfuss said traffic on I-55 increases from 27,000 cars per day at the northern intersection with Kingshighway to 37,000 cars per day from Highway 74 south. He said this increase is in part because of commuters from Scott County.

"It's why traffic flow is better," Okenfuss said of the northern section of I-55.

Compounding matters, there are three ramps of oncoming traffic that enter the highway between Highway 74 and Route AB. This causes most drivers to slow down.

"Typically when you have ramps coming together, you're forcing people to make a decision," Okenfuss said. "We call these conflict points."

Okenfuss said the likely measure the MoDOT could take to alleviate traffic problems would be to add lanes. MoDOT does not have money in its budget, however, to support a interstate widening project that would cost tens of millions of dollars.

"It's why we focus on things that can be controlled: driving while intoxicated, wearing a seat belt and avoiding distracted driving," Okenfuss said. "Those things don't cost money."

It's up to the Cape Girardeau Police Department to enforce the traffic laws in an effort to deter accidents. Sgt. Kevin Orr, head of the department's traffic division, said I-55 is within the top five of the roadways in town with the most accidents. He added, however, that section of interstate has far fewer accidents than Kingshighway or Route K.

"We try to give high crash locations as much enforcement as possible," Orr said.

There is only so much enforcement Cape Girardeau police can provide. Okenfuss said MoDOT officials always talk about limiting distracted driving. Orr also warns motorists of distracted driving. Okenfuss said distracted driving, whether it's texting, talking on the phone or some other distraction, is not illegal for adults.

The higher speed and the volume of traffic creates more severe accidents when they occur, Okenfuss also said.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address: I-55, at Rt AB, Cape Girardeau, MO