Two Illinois residents died as result of a two-vehicle traffic crash on an ice-covered roadway in Lafayette County on Tuesday.
A report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol says the crash occurred as 20-year-old Samantha Rios, of Kansas City, Kansas, reportedly lost control of her westbound vehicle; it skidded into the median and out of the median directly into the path of a westbound freightliner, driven by 24-year-old Bakhodir Razakberdiev, of Brooklyn, NY.
Passengers in Rios’ vehicle- 21-year-old Kaleb Huddleston, of Effingham, and 19-year-old Wendy Rios, of Altamont- were pronounced deceased at Centerpoint Hospital in Independence and at the scene, respectively. The driver and another 19-year-old passenger- Ryan Kumm, of Independence- sustained minor injuries and were transported by ambulance to Centerpoint Hospital for treatment. The truck driver reportedly was not injured.
The crash happened just after 6:30 p.m. at the 39.6 mile marker on I-70.