Jan. 6—The effects of the winter storm across Missouri have made driving more difficult, keeping area first responders on high alert to keep people safe on the road.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Troopers are continuing to respond to slide-offs, stranded motorists and crashes caused by the snow.
“The calls for service have dramatically increased,” said Sergeant Shane Hux with MSHP Troop H. “We started keeping track on Saturday, January 4th at three in the afternoon, whenever the precipitation first started to fall here in northwest Missouri.”
Since the Storm onset — MSHP Troopers have responded to:
1,374 calls for service
597 stranded motorists
285 crashes
27 injuries
1 fatality
Troop H itself has responded to 263 calls for service, 113 stranded motorists, 14 non-injury crashes and 3 injury crashes.
“Yesterday during the heart of the storm it was everything we could do just to get people to safety that became stranded on the Interstate 29 and Atchison and Holt counties,” Sgt. Hux stated.
Drivers are being urged to stay off the roads and stay home as crews spend the next few days clearing roads and handling snow-related incidents.
“We are seeing a lot of slide-offs,” said Sergeant James Tonn with the St. Joseph Police Department. “Please stay home. We understand with work sometimes you have to go or sometimes you must go to the store but we’re human, too. We can become part of the problem when we get in the ditch and get stuck but we have to be out here. If you don’t, we ask that you stay home.”
News-Press NOW will update this story.
Jenna Wilson can be reached at jenna.wilson@newspressnow.com.