ST. LOUIS – Interstate 70 westbound was shut down in two areas overnight after two different crashes. One was deadly. The other involved a St. Louis City police unit.
The second crash, involving the St. Louis City Police Unit, took place just off I-70 and Salisbury in north St. Louis. The scene has since cleared, but for a time earlier, a stretch of I-70 westbound here was closed while police investigated the incident.
The situation unfolded around 3:45 a.m. Authorities told FOX 2 that a St. Louis City officer was operating a marked vehicle on I-70 westbound when another driver rear-ended the vehicle. The impact caused the officer to lose control and hit the concrete center median.
We’re told the officer was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries. At this point, the police shared that they have no information on the other driver who hit the officer’s unit.
Several hours earlier, there was another crash on I-70 westbound, about 6 miles west of where the officer-involved crash happened. That earlier wreck left one person dead and another injured. It involved two vehicles and happened on 70 West near Jennings Station Road in north county.
70 West in that area was closed down for hours while the Missouri Highway Patrol investigated the crash. Traffic on 70 westbound was diverted to Jennings Station Road as the investigation took place.
At this point, the highway patrol is still looking into what caused the crash. FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.