A 66-year-old man from Columbia, Missouri was struck and killed late Sunday night while walking in the eastbound right lane of Interstate 70 in rural Saline County, after a semi-truck driver attempted to swerve around him but couldn't avoid the collision. The crash happened near mile marker 70.4, about four miles east of Sweet Springs, just before 11 p.m.
According to an official crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the collision occurred at 10:59 p.m. on September 6 when the 26-year-old truck driver tried to steer around the pedestrian before bringing the vehicle to a controlled stop on the right shoulder. As reported by KCTV5, the semi-truck was driven by a man from San Antonio, Texas, who cooperated with investigators after the crash, per the patrol.
Deputy Coroner J. Campbell of the Saline County Sheriff's Office pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene at 11:06 p.m., seven minutes after impact, according to Missouri Network. The 2023 Freightliner semi sustained moderate damage and was towed from the scene by Don's Towing, while the driver was reported uninjured and wearing a seat belt, the same outlet reports.
A Rural Stretch With a Deadly Tally
Local radio station KMMO notes that Sweet Springs is a small community in western Saline County along the interstate corridor, giving the crash site a specific rural landmark for area residents. Per Missouri State Highway Patrol records, Sunday's crash marked Troop A's 39th fatal crash and 42nd traffic fatality of the year — Troop A covers 13 western Missouri counties including Saline County.
It remains unclear why the Columbia man was walking in an active travel lane of I-70 at that hour, since no disabled vehicle was noted at the immediate scene in initial reports. Missouri Department of Transportation safety officials have found that a notable share of the state's pedestrian fatalities involve people who ended up on foot near interstates after a prior crash or breakdown, though that circumstance has not been confirmed in this case.
Part of a Statewide Surge in Pedestrian Deaths
The crash arrives amid what MoDOT data shows is a sustained climb in pedestrian fatalities across Missouri even as overall traffic deaths decline. The department reported a record 148 pedestrian deaths statewide in 2024, a 16% jump from the prior year, and mid-year tracking through November 2025 showed pedestrian fatalities up another 22%, according to Land Line Media.
Interstate 70 itself has drawn scrutiny as a particularly hazardous corridor. An analysis of federal crash data reported by Fox2Now in January ranked I-70 as Missouri's most dangerous highway, tallying 159 crash incidents along its roughly 250-mile stretch through the state, which carries heavy freight traffic linking Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis.
Under Missouri law, pedestrians are barred from walking on roadways where sidewalks exist, and where none are present, state statute requires them to walk on the left shoulder facing oncoming traffic, according to Beck & Beck Missouri Car Accident Lawyers. Drivers, meanwhile, are held to a legal standard requiring the “highest degree of care” to avoid striking pedestrians under state statutes governing traffic safety.
Another Fatal I-70 Crash Just Weeks Prior
Sunday's death follows a similar tragedy just weeks earlier: a 23-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer on I-70 in Wentzville on August 14. Both crashes underscore the risks pedestrians face on the high-speed interstate corridor, whether from breakdowns, unclear circumstances, or other factors investigators have yet to fully explain. No further details on potential charges or toxicology findings tied to Sunday's crash had been released as of this report.
