A 49-year-old Crystal City man was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated after he allegedly caused a two-vehicle crash Tuesday (April 16) when he was driving the wrong direction on I-55 south of Imperial, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
He was moderately hurt in the accident, which occurred at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday (April 16). A New Jersey man who was driving the other vehicle involved in the accident had minor injuries, the report said.
The Crystal City man was driving a 2007 Chevrolet 1500 north in the southbound lanes of I-55 south of Imperial Main Street, and the pickup was struck head-on by a southbound 2013 Peterbilt tractor-trailer driven by Wilmer A. Cornejo-Lack, 40, of Fairview, N.J., according to the report.
The pickup overturned and went off the left side, and the Crystal City man was partially ejected. The tractor-trailer slid off the left side of the interstate and hit a concrete median, the report said.
Both drivers were transported by Rock Township Ambulance to Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County, according to the report.
Cornejo-Lack was treated and released, but the hospital had no information about the Crystal City man, a hospital spokesman said today (April 18).
Both drivers were wearing seat belts, the patrol reported.
The pickup was totaled, and the tractor-trailer was moderately damaged, according to the report.
The patrol arrested the Crystal City man early Wednesday morning (April 17) at the hospital, the report said.