On 09/14/22, a truck hauling a stock trailer containing two horses, left the roadway on southbound 13 Highway near Calvird Drive, crossed the median and northbound lanes, and crashed at the bottom of the steep, opposite shoulder embankment. It appeared that the driver, Gary Shuey , age 68 , of Peculiar, MO, had a sudden medical emergency, causing him to lose consciousness while operating the vehicle.
Nearby Missouri Department of Transportation employees, working on a highway project, witnessed the crash and rushed to the occupants assistance. A Clinton Police supervisor was inside of a mile from the scene when the crash was dispatched and was able to arrive within just a few minutes. Clinton Fire and a Golden Valley Memorial Hospital ambulance were also dispatched.
The driver was found unresponsive, without a pulse and was not breathing upon police arrival. The MODOT personnel helped police remove the driver from the vehicle and life saving measures were started, including the use of a CPD issued Automated External Defibrillator. Fire and EMS arrived a short time later, and through the combined effort of all emergency responders, the driver regained a pulse and was breathing on his own before he was hauled up the embankment and into the awaiting ambulance.
A passenger, Marilyn Shuey, age 67, also of Peculiar, MO was transported from the scene by ambulance as well with multiple injuries.
The Clinton Police Department wants to extend a sincere thanks to Whitney Smith, a local private citizen, who used her own equipment and expertise to rescue the two horses and seek veterinary assistance for them. The horses were not seriously injured. We also want to recognize the efforts of the MODOT employees who went above and beyond and without whom, this incident may not have been as positively resolved.
