Thin layers of ice on bridges and overpasses early Tuesday caused dozens of accidents throughout Central Missouri, including one fatal head-on crash in Callaway County.
In a two-hour period starting about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, wet pavement caused by an overnight rain froze on bridges and overpasses but did not freeze on the rest of the roadway, making the thin layer of ice not only difficult to spot but unexpected by drivers.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol listed black ice as the cause of a fatal accident in Callaway County at 7:10 a.m. Tuesday.
The accident occurred on the Turkey Creek Bridge on U.S. 63 when a 1987 GMC pickup driven by Sharon M. Keeran, 57, California, was northbound on U.S. 63 when she lost control on the ice-covered bridge, traveled off the left side of the roadway, through the median cables and into the path of a southbound 2001 Toyota Camry driven by John D. Drew, 55, Columbia.
Drew was taken to University Hospital in Columbia and died at 9 a.m. He was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.