One Dead, One Critically Injured In Phelps County Crash

A crash Nov. 16 on Interstate 44 claimed the life of a passenger in a commercial truck and caused serious injuries to the driver. 

The crash occurred around 2:03 a.m. near the 193-mile marker in Phelps County.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a 2019 Freightliner Cascadia, driven by a 37-year-old woman from Montebello, California, veered off the right side of the roadway. The truck struck a guardrail and then collided with a concrete bridge, causing the vehicle to go airborne before crashing into an embankment.

The passenger, a 54-year-old man from Hacienda Heights, California, suffered fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Dr. Robert Causey at 2:30 a.m.

He was not wearing a seat belt.

The driver was flown to University Hospital in Columbia. It is not known if she was wearing a seat belt.