MoDOT honors I-57 crash first responders

SIKESTON, Mo. (KFVS) - The Missouri Department of Transportation recognized first responders and others who helped during and after the massive chain-reaction crashes on Interstate 57 in Mississippi County.

An estimated 200 people from agencies throughout southeast Missouri attended the ceremony on Thursday, March 24 at the garage of MoDOT’s Southeast District Office complex in Sikeston at 3 p.m.

Missouri Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe and MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna spoke at the event.

“When you have an unfortunate incident like we has last week, you see Missouri’s best come out. And I know we had a little help from some of our friends in some of our neighboring states, but the coordination we saw between state departments, local municipalities, county officials, sheriff’s departments, that’s what makes Missouri proud,” Lt. Gov. Kehoe said.

MoDOT honored the heroes who helped with the management, recovery and clean-up efforts.

These include the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Mississippi County, City of Charleston, MoDOT and many other state and Heartland emergency responders.

“From the first call we received to the reopening of Interstate 57, we appreciated so many agencies pulling together to assist during this unfortunate event,” said MoDOT Southeast District Engineer Mark Croarkin.

Five people were killed and 15 others were injured in three chain reaction crashes at 8 a.m. on I-57 near Charleston on Thursday, March 17.

Law enforcement, ambulance crews, tow truck drivers and other emergency response personnel from all over the Heartland, including southern Illinois and western Kentucky provided help with the massive crashes.

I-57 was entirely shutdown for at least 20 hours from the Missouri-Illinois state line to Interstate 55 in Sikeston to allow crews to investigate and remove the wrecked vehicles and debris from the area.

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