1:05 p.m. UPDATE
A truck driver from Louisiana is accused of causing the deaths of three women following an eight-vehicle accident on Sept. 28 that also injured five others. Darla P. Parris, 53, of Jefferson County and Vanessa Y. Knowles, 63, and Donnie Briggs, 63, both of Memphis, Tenn., died in the crash.
The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Monday, Sept. 29, charged Richard Allen Holden, 45, of Greensburg, La., with three counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter. Each count is a class E felony punishable by up to four years in prison.
He was arrested on Sept. 28 and as of Tuesday, Sept. 30, he was being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro. No attorney is listed for Holden.
According to the probable-cause statement, Holden was driving a northbound 2022 Freightliner Cascadia tractor trailer on I-55 in a construction zone just south of Festus. The vehicles ahead of him had slowed and merged into the right lane due to the left lane being closed. Holden allegedly was driving in the right lane at 70 mph when his tractor trailer approached the slow-moving traffic ahead.
Roadway evidence allegedly “revealed minimal or even no attempt by Holden to slow the 2022 Freightliner before the front of it crashed through the line of vehicles.” The dash camera also showed no indication that Holden slowed his vehicle or attempted to avoid vehicles before or during the crash, the report said.
Holden allegedly told a trooper that he might have dozed off. He said he thought he was slowing down for the construction zone and then he heard the sound of crashing, the report said.
The probable-cause statement said at 3:27 p.m., Holden struck the rear of a 2025 Toyota Camry, the rear of a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder, the rear of a 2013 Kia Optima, the rear of a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500, and the rear of a 2015 GMC 1500, which struck a 2015 Toyota Corolla. A 2018 Ford F-150 was then struck by both the GMC and Freightliner.
Parris, who reportedly has lived in Pevely and Hillsboro, was driving the Optima, and the Memphis women were in the Camry, according to the report.
A 61-year-old Rossville, Tenn., woman and a 34-year-old Barnhart man were seriously injured and transported to Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County. A 27-year-old Crystal City man and a 54-year-old Arnold man also were transported to Mercy South with moderate injuries, the report said.
Holden was treated at Mercy South for minor injuries before being released to the jail.
The Ford F-150 had moderate damage, and the Freightliner had minor damage. The other vehicles were totaled.
Traffic was rerouted to Hwy. 61-67 for several hours, according to the report.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A truck driver was arrested after an eight-vehicle crash on northbound I-55 just south of Festus killed three people and injured five others on Sept. 28, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
Darla P. Parris, 53, of Jefferson County and Vanessa Y. Knowles, 63, and Donnie Briggs, 63, both of Memphis, Tenn., died in the crash. The Missouri State Highway Patrol does not identify victims of traffic accidents. The Regional Medical Examiners Office identified the victims.
At 3:27 p.m., a 45-year-old Greensburg, La., man driving a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia allegedly was inattentive to slow-moving traffic and struck the rear of a 2025 Toyota Camry, causing a chain reaction on the interstate. The Camry struck a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder, which struck a 2013 Kia Optima, which struck a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500, which struck a 2015 GMC 1500, which rotated to the left and struck a 2015 Toyota Corolla and a 2018 Ford F-150, the report said.
Parris, who reportedly has lived in Pevely and Hillsboro, was driving the Optima, and the Memphis women were in the Camry, according to the report.
A 61-year-old Rossville, Tenn., woman and a 34-year-old Barnhart man were seriously injured and transported to Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County. A 27-year-old Crystal City man and a 54-year-old Arnold man also were transported to Mercy South with moderate injuries, the report said.
The truck driver was treated at Mercy South for minor injuries before being transported to the Jefferson County Jail in Hillsboro. He was booked after 7 p.m. Sept. 28 on a 24-hour hold.
Traffic was rerouted to Hwy. 61-67 for several hours, according to the report.
The Ford F-150 had moderate damage, and the Freightliner had minor damage. The other vehicles were totaled.
The truck driver had not been charged as of Monday. The Leader will not name the driver, unless he is charged with a crime.