The Missouri State Highway Patrol has been asked to complete a follow-up investigation into the one-vehicle accident along I-55 in Festus on April 30 that left Savannah McCreary dead.
She was 28 and the wife of Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Colby McCreary, who was driving when the accident occurred.
Colby McCreary, 29, of De Soto was injured in the accident, and as of Monday, he had not returned to work, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Grant Bissell said.
McCreary declined a request to be interviewed.
Bissell said he didn’t know when McCreary would resume his duties at the Sheriff’s Office.
“He’s continuing on the path to recovery, and we wish all the best for him and his family,” Bissell said.
McCreary’s father is Jeff McCreary, the De Soto Police chief.
The Festus Police Department handled the accident the day it occurred, so the Highway Patrol did not investigate it then.
While the Patrol frequently handles crashes along I-55, especially those involving serious injuries or fatalities, Festus Chief Doug Wendel said it’s common for Festus Police to handle accidents along the interstate if they happen within the city.
“It was treated like any other accident we’d work out there,” he said. “Since the accident occurred, we have contacted the Highway Patrol to do some follow-up investigation.”
Cpl. Dallas Thompson of the Highway Patrol said Wendel has asked the patrol to investigate the crash.
“(The request) came in at the end of last week,” he said May 17.
Thompson said the patrol’s major crash reconstruction team will work on the investigation, following any leads it finds.
He said the investigation could take two or more weeks.
Thompson said a report will be generated at the end of the investigation, and if the patrol feels the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office should look into possible charges, the report would be forwarded to that office.
“Or maybe the report will be the end of the investigation,” Thompson said.
Savannah McCreary’s mother, Krista Zumsteg-Kalpakoff, who lives in Oregon, said she has many unanswered questions about the crash and is glad to hear the patrol is looking into it.
“I don’t understand how a crash like this can happen going down a straightaway,” she said. “I’ve been by the crash scene, and I don’t understand how something like that can happen.”
The accident happened at about 1:05 a.m. on southbound I-55 at the 177-mile marker, Wendel reported.
“(Colby McCreary) was driving a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. It ran off the right side of the roadway, struck a bluff and overturned,” Wendel said. “Witnesses said he drifted off the right side of the road and struck the rock bluff.”
Both Colby and Savannah McCreary were ejected from the Jeep and were taken by Joachim-Plattin Ambulance to Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County with serious injuries, Wendel said.
Savannah McCreary died from her injuries at the hospital.
Wendel said neither Savannah nor Colby McCreary was wearing a seat belt when the accident occurred.
Savannah McCreary
Zumsteg-Kalpakoff said her daughter grew up in Oregon and moved to Missouri about 11 years ago and to Jefferson County about three years ago.
“We were distant as far as miles, but we were in constant contact,” Zumsteg-Kalpakoff said. “I talked to her at least once a week, and we always were sending text messages, photos and videos and stuff on Snapchat.
“She was my best friend, everyone’s best friend. She was very outgoing, very vivacious. She was 6 feet tall, a real knockout. She was larger than life, just such an amazingly beautiful girl. She never wanted to hurt anyone’s feelings. She was a genuinely beautiful person.”
Zumsteg-Kalpakoff said her daughter also was close to her two brothers and two sisters, even though they lived out of state.
“She was best friends with all her siblings,” her mother said.
Savannah McCreary leaves behind two children – Sienna, 10, and Sawyer, 4.
Zumsteg-Kalpakoff said she kept in regular contact with her grandchildren over the years and hopes to remain close to them.
“My goal is to be here (in Missouri) every summer for (Savannah’s) birthday, which is July 5, to celebrate with my grandchildren,” she said.