COLUMBIA — Traffic was tied up on U.S. 63 southbound on Wednesday afternoon after a vehicle drove off the road and hit a tree just after 3:30 p.m.
The single-passenger car was traveling south on U.S. 63 just past Route H between Columbia and Ashland.
The Southern Boone County Fire Protection District was not aware of what caused the car to veer off the highway, Price Nichols, public relations officer, said.
The man was flown to University Hospital with life-threatening injuries, Nichols said. The man’s name and condition were not released.
The accident closed both southbound lanes of U.S. 63, creating major traffic delays. At one point, traffic was backed up for more than three miles, Nichols said.