A driver who suffered serious injuries in a Wednesday morning collision on Interstate 70 has since succumbed to those injuries.
The victim, a 57-year-old man from Columbia, was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. At approximately 9:25 p.m., he was pronounced dead as a result of his injuries, as confirmed by an official statement from the Columbia Police Department.
A second driver, identified as a juvenile, was also transported to a local medical facility, though that individual sustained only minor injuries. No further details regarding the juvenile driver have been made available at this time.
The collision took place at approximately 10:40 a.m. and resulted in the closure of eastbound lanes on I-70 near Exit 125, disrupting traffic in the area for a significant period.
Investigators with the Columbia Police Department determined that the crash involved up to five vehicles in total, one of which was transporting a Budweiser Clydesdale horse.
Personnel from the Columbia Fire Department who arrived on the scene reported that two of the vehicles sustained moderate to heavy damage. The Missouri Department of Transportation, however, indicated that three vehicles were involved in the incident.
The presence of a Budweiser Clydesdale at the scene was described as an uncommon occurrence by Assistant Fire Chief Zachary Grace.
“We are aware that one of our vehicles was involved in a traffic accident, and we can share that the driver and the horse were not injured,” Anheuser-Busch stated.
