18-car pileup injures 26 in Missouri
A massive pile-up on Highway 60 injured 26 people, some seriously, near the town of Essex. 18 vehicles were involved in this Missouri car accident.
According to local media reports and the Missouri Stat Highway Patrol, the accident occurred as a large cloud of thick smoke covered the roadway from a nearby fire started on a farm. A farmer was burning some trash when the blaze got out of control and blanketed the area in thick smoke. While many details have yet to be released, the initial investigation found that three vehicles were involved in the initial collision. Shortly after that crash, a tractor-trailer, driven by Kenneth Loness, 36, came upon the accident scene and braked hard to try and avoid plowing through the damaged cars. In the chaos that followed, another 14 cars crashed into the pile or were run off the road.
Four people sustained serious car accident injuries. They were Jaclyn King, 18; Jackie Chamness, 51; Lana Chamness, 61; and Melissa Reeser, age unknown. Reeser and Lana Chamness' injuries were so severe that they were airlifted to local hospitals for emergency treatment. 22 others sustained moderate to minor injuries. Only seven managed to escape the wreck without injury, according to the initial crash report.
A full investigation into this multi-collision accident is underway, but may take weeks to complete.
It is not known whether the farmer will be issued a citation for his role in the incident.
