Semi, two cars involved in fatal accident on I-55 Friday

One woman was killed and two others injured in a Friday night accident on Interstate 55 near the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, stalling traffic for several hours in both directions.

The three-vehicle accident occurred at 6:10 p.m. when a southbound semitrailer changed from the right to left lane and struck a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, according to Cape Girardeau police Cpl. Kevin Eudy.

The Chevrolet lost control and went across the median, striking a northbound passenger vehicle, he said.

Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded at 6:18 p.m. to the crash at mile marker 91, battalion chief Steve Niswonger said.

Emergency crews extricated two women from one vehicle and another from a second. The vehicles were between 5 and 12 feet east of the northbound lanes' shoulder, he said.

A 44-year-old Southeast Missouri woman was pronounced dead at 7:09 p.m. at Saint Francis Medical Center, according to Scott County chief deputy coroner Jerry Goin.

The woman, whose identity was being withheld pending family notification, died from massive injuries, Goin said.

The two other women from the crash were hospitalized. The driver of the semi was not injured, and all were wearing seat belts, Eudy said.

Traffic on the interstate came to a virtual halt, cars inching along the road as they maneuvered past the accident scene. Vehicles were backed up for about two miles in both directions, and passing by the accident took at least 30 minutes. Traffic cleared up by 10 p.m.

Off the east shoulder of the interstate lay the two smashed and mangled vehicles. A deployed airbag could be seen in the twisted, crumpled metal of one vehicle.

No citations were filed, and Cape Girardeau police will be investigating the crash with assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, according to Eudy.

Several agencies responded to the scene, including the highway patrol, Scott County Sheriff's Department, and the Cape Girardeau and Scott City fire and police departments.

A second crash occurred near the original accident scene in the northbound lanes at 9:12 p.m., according to a Scott City police dispatcher. One person was hospitalized, but additional details were not immediately available Friday night.

Southeast Missourian writer Scott Moyers contributed to this report.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

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