Motorist killed on I-55 in Cape Girardeau County

A 31-year-old Alabama woman, Caitlin E. Shimakonis, was killed Wednesday, Aug. 16, when her vehicle ran off northbound Interstate 55 and overturned at the 116.4 mile marker near Oak Ridge.

Shimakonis of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, was driving a 1998 Chevrolet S10 that exited the roadway at 11:30 a.m.

State Highway Patrol said the victim's pickup truck was totaled in the one-vehicle accident.

State Highway Patrol said the deadly mishap was the 37th fatality of 2023.

Shimakonis, who was declared dead at the scene by Cape Girardeau County Coroner Wavis Jordan, was wearing seat belts at the time of the incident.