Two drivers were taken to the University Hospital on Thursday following a head-on collision. Neither of the drivers sustained fatal injuries.
The accident occurred at 2:05 p.m. on the 3000 block of Forum Boulevard. According to Battalion Chief James Weaver, the road was blocked for approximately 40 minutes.
When crews from the Columbia Fire Department arrived on the scene, they found a black Honda Accord off the roadway in a ditch on the northbound side of Forum Blvd. and a red Nissan blocking the southbound lane.
Crews used hydraulic extrication tools to remove the driver of the Honda. The driver of the Nissan was not trapped in her vehicle and did not need assistance getting out.
“I do not have an exact amount of time the extrication took, but an estimate would be around 20 minutes,” Weaver said.
He also said neither of the cars were in drivable condition.
Neither of the drivers had any passengers in their vehicle at the time of the accident. The Columbia Police Department is still investigating the cause of the accident.
According to (Missouri Department of Transportation website)[http://www.modot.org/], there were 47 run-off-road crashes involving serious injuries in Columbia in 2011. Crashes involving young drivers aged 15-20 years sustaining serious injuries numbered 62 the same year.
The Missouri Department of Transportation website states young drivers are overrepresented in traffic crashes, and young drivers are involved in 30 percent of traffic crashes.
In 2011, the total number of crashes involving serious injuries in Columbia was 47, an increase from the 27 crashes causing serious injuries in 2010.
Missouri had a total of 142,966 traffic crashes in 2011. Of these traffic crashes, 716 involved one or more persons being killed in the incident. In addition, 24.8 percent (35,441) involved no one being killed but one or more persons being injured in the incident.
A total of 786 persons died in Missouri traffic crashes in 2011, meaning one person was killed every 11.1 hours. In 2011, a total of 51,060 persons were injured in traffic crashes, meaning one person was injured every 10.3 minutes.