Rollover crash injures seven, leaves one dead
A van rolled several times before coming to rest on its side at the 124-mile marker of I-70 eastbound Wednesday morning. Seven were injured and one was pronounced dead at the scene, said Columbia Fire Department Chief Steven Sapp.
Firefighters from CFD and Boone County Fire Protection District responded shortly before 7 a.m. A total of five trucks responded and four ambulances were called to the scene. At least four victims were transported with serious injuries to University Hospital.
Both eastbound lanes were shut down while crews worked to remove the victims. One victim went into cardiac arrest as a fire began under the hood of the vehicle. Firefighters immediately protected the victims still trapped in the car as the fire was extinguished within minutes.
The van was part of a group of family members headed eastbound to Florida, Sapp said. About a dozen family members stopped and were on both sides of the highway. A CFD bus transported them to University Hospital to be with the injured family members.