Crash near Kansas and I-44 injures one, backs up traffic

The driver of a minivan was trapped in the vehicle after a crash in North Springfield. Springfield police say the van collided with a semi-truck at about 6:30 this morning. The impact of the crash crushed the van between the truck and a light pole. It took emergency crews about two hours to free the driver of the van from the wreckage. That person was taken to a Springfield hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the semi was not badly hurt,

The accident put Springfield Police in emergency status mode, handling only the most serious accident calls. The crash closed off the intersection of Kansas Expressway and Norton Road for a while so crews could clean up the crash site. It also created backups that affected traffic on I-44.