A traffic accident involving three trucks on Friday afternoon sent three people to the hospital and shut down northbound traffic on I-29 for six hours, while Haz-Mat crews worked to clean up a fuel spill.

According to Platte County Sheriff Department Captain Frank Hunter, at approximately 12:03 p.m. a semi truck was northbound in the inside lane of I-29 near the Camden Point exit, while the rest of the traffic in the right lane had slowed down for construction ahead.

“When the semi tried to pull into the right lane, it hit a large delivery truck from the rear pushing the delivery truck into a car hauler,” stated Hunter.

The driver of the delivery truck, 26-year-old, Randall Ward of Omaha, NE, was transported by air ambulance to North Kansas City Hospital with serious injuries.

Ryan Fields, 23, of Omaha, NE and Scott Beardsley, 23, of Poplar Bluff, Mo, were transported to Heartland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph by NRAD. Fields had sustained serious injuries and Beardsley had sustained moderate injuries.

Due to the collision, the Missouri Highway Patrol was forced to close northbound I-29 for nearly six hours diverting traffic off I-29 at the E Hwy exit and back over to northbound I-29, while Haz-Mat crews worked to clean up a “considerable diesel spill," stated Hunter. No fire occurred at the scene of the accident.

According to Hunter, because of that fuel spill the Missouri Department of Transportation will have to replace the new asphalt which was recently laid on that stretch of roadway.

The Platte County Sheriff's Department, the Missouri Highway Patrol, the Missouri Department of Transportation, Camden Point Fire, Haz-Mat, NRAD and North Kansas City Hospital Life Flight responded to the scene of the accident.