SULLIVAN, Mo. — Two women and a child were killed in a Saturday evening crash on Interstate Highway 44 in Sullivan, Missouri, an online crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol said Sunday morning.
The crash happened in the westbound lanes of I-44 near mile marker 228.4 around 9:30 p.m.— about three miles from the scene of a fatal shooting of a man by law enforcement officers less than two hours earlier.
According to the crash report, two semi-tractor trailers and a mid-size sedan were stopped in traffic on the interstate, waiting for law enforcement officers to reopen the roadway to traffic, when a third semi-tractor trailer and compact car were approaching traffic.
The semi-tractor trailer approaching traffic, a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia, slammed into the mid-size sedan that was stopped in traffic, killing the sedan's driver— 25-year-old Rolla resident Bailey Snider.
The compact car approaching stopped traffic hit that same semi-truck, killing the compact car's driver, 32-year-old Steelville resident Chelsea Smith and an unnamed 5-year-old boy.
The 2022 Cascadia then struck one of the two semi-tractor trailers stopped in traffic, which then struck the other.
Snider, Smith and the unnamed boy all died at the scene of the crash, Missouri Baptist Ambulance crews told investigators.
"At this time, there have been no citations issued," MSHP Troop C spokesperson Cpl. Logan Bolton told 5 On Your Side. "The crash is still being investigated."
One of the three semi-tractor trailer drivers had minor injuries.
Sullivan Police Department officers and Franklin County sheriff deputies helped MSHP Troop C troopers with the response to the crash.
According to Troop C's website, more than 150 people have died in car crashes in Troop C's area of operation so far this year. The number of people who died in crashes in that area throughout 2023 was 269.
Troop C's area of operation includes the following counties: Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perry, Pike, St. Charles, St. Francois, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Warren, and Washington.
