I-70 crash forces steady stream of traffic through Sedalia

A Cooper County accident Thursday morning caused traffic traveling on Interstate 70 to be rerouted through Sedalia.

The accident occurred at 10:35 a.m. as Lester R. Burns, 39, of Joplin, was westbound on Interstate 70 at mile marker 91, between Highway 65 and Boonville.  

The tractor-trailer hydroplaned and ran off the right side of the road and hit a guard rail. Part of the cab and sleeper were separated from the trailer with Burns inside and went over an embankment. The trailer continued traveling westbound and crossed the median cables and struck a parked 2007 Volvo. The trailer jackknifed and blocked both eastbound lanes of Interstate 70, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol reports.

Burns was taken by ambulance to Cooper County Memorial Hospital in Boonville with moderate injuries.

Traffic was redirected through Sedalia on State Route 5 or Hwy. 65. The heavy influx of the traffic caused considerable congestion in Sedalia, especially at the intersection of Hwy. 65 and Hwy. 50.

As of 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon, Interstate 70 lanes were open.

Burns was not wearing a seat belt, the report states.