Truck carrying sea lions crashes in Boone County on the way to Missouri State Fair

A tractor trailer carrying three sea lions to the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia crashed in Boone County early Thursday morning.

The sea lions were set to be the stars of the Sea Lion Splash shows at the 2026 Missouri State Fair, according to fair organizers. The Sea Lion Splash Shows have been canceled due to the crash, fair organizers said in a Facebook post.

A crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol listed two people in the tractor trailer at the time of the crash, one of whom was taken to University Hospital in Columbia by ambulance with moderate injuries, according to the report. A news release from the Boone County Fire Protection District said there were three occupants in the tractor trailer.

The person who was hurt was a 27-year-old woman from Texas and was an occupant in the truck, according to the crash report. The driver, a 59-year-old man from Ohio, was not injured, according to the report.

The crash happened when the tractor trailer hauling the three sea lions struck a concrete barrier around 3 a.m. Thursday at the 133-mile marker on westbound Interstate 70, according to the Highway Patrol. The 133-mile marker is east of Columbia near Route Z in Boone County.

No other vehicles were involved, according to the crash report.

Once crews learned the truck was carrying sea lions, they called in veterinarians from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine to provide specialized care, according to the fire district.

The three sea lions were taken to the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center to be evaluated and await their owner, according to the highway patrol. They did not appear to be hurt.

The patrol said later Thursday afternoon that the sea lions would continue on their way to the State Fair in Sedalia.

"All sea lions are doing great this morning," the fire district said in the release.

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