Two People Injured in Seven Vehicle Accident on Route 24 in Monroe County

A morning accident on Route 24 in Monroe County blocked the highway for five hours and sent two people to the hospital with serious injuries. The accident occurred at 9:45 this morning on Route 24, three miles west of Paris. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a total of six vehicles were stopped in a construction zone on Route 24 when a tractor-trailer truck driven by 64-year old Leslie Thrasher of Clarence struck a 2016 Ford Fusion driven by a 16-year old female from Paris. This resulted in a chain-reaction crash involving the other five vehicles in the construction zone. Thrasher’s truck and trailer ended up coming to rest on its side across both lanes of Route 24. Crews worked to clear the accident for several hours. Route 24 re-opened to traffic shortly before 3 pm. Both Thrasher and the 16-year old female from Paris suffered serious injuries in the accident. Thrasher was transported by Air Evac to University Hospital in Columbia for treatment. The 16-year old female was also sent to Columbia for treatment via Randolph County Ambulance. No other injuries were reported from the accident.