ST. LOUIS, MO — Five people, including three children, were injured in a chain-reaction crash on southbound Interstate 170 in north St. Louis County on Halloween night. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the wreck happened just before 9:10 p.m. Saturday, near the I-70 interchange, after traffic began slowing on the roadway.
Investigators said one driver following too closely struck a 2009 Acura MDX from behind. That impact set off a second collision and sent the Acura into two more vehicles, turning the crash into a four-vehicle pileup. The highway patrol’s crash report says the people hurt are now recovering.
How the collision unfolded on southbound I-170
The crash began when a vehicle approaching slowed traffic from behind and hit the Acura MDX. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Acura driver then lost control and hit the rear of a 2025 Kia K5. The Acura kept moving and struck the back of a 2018 Chevrolet Traverse and the front of a 2018 Ford EcoSport.
The sequence left multiple vehicles damaged in quick succession. The patrol said the Traverse was totaled, while the EcoSport sustained extensive damage. The crash happened in the southbound lanes just north of I-70, a stretch of highway where traffic backups can quickly create problems when drivers are not leaving enough space.
Adults in the Traverse and EcoSport suffered the most serious injuries
The driver of the Chevrolet Traverse, a 32-year-old man, suffered serious injuries in the crash, according to the patrol report. The driver of the Ford EcoSport, a 35-year-old woman, had moderate injuries. Another woman riding in the EcoSport was also hospitalized after the collision.
Both drivers in the Traverse and EcoSport were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, the report said. The woman riding in the EcoSport also was not buckled in. Investigators did not provide further details about their current condition, but the report indicates they were among those taken to the hospital after the wreck.
Three children ages four to thirteen were also taken to hospital
Three children, ages 4, 6 and 13, were among the people injured in the crash and taken for medical care. The Missouri State Highway Patrol did not identify the children or say which vehicles they were riding in.
The crash report said the 13-year-old was not wearing a seat belt. No similar detail was listed for the younger children, and the patrol did not release more information about their injuries beyond the fact that they were hospitalized. Their presence in the wreck made the Halloween night crash particularly serious for families traveling along the interstate.
Seat belt use became a factor in several of the injuries
Seat belt use was a notable issue in the patrol’s crash report. The drivers of the Traverse and EcoSport were both unrestrained, and the woman riding in the EcoSport was also not buckled up. The report also said the 13-year-old child was not wearing a seat belt.
Authorities did not say whether seat belt use changed the severity of each person’s injuries, but the report links the lack of restraints to several of the people hurt. The crash serves as another reminder that even low-speed or slowing traffic on the interstate can become dangerous when multiple vehicles are involved.
Highway patrol has not said which driver caused the crash
The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s report does not identify the driver or vehicle that started the wreck. It only says the first impact came from a driver who was following too closely as traffic slowed on the highway.
That missing detail means the patrol has not yet publicly assigned responsibility for the chain reaction. For now, the known facts are the time, location and the injuries: five people hurt, including three children, after a four-vehicle crash on southbound I-170 in north St. Louis County.
