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.