One person died and two people were hurt Wednesday night (Jan. 23) in two traffic accidents near Hwy. 67 and Meyer Road south of Festus, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
John J. Wedde, 57, of Festus died after the car he was driving on Hwy. 67 south of Meyer Road was struck from behind at 7:23 p.m., which caused a four-vehicle accident, the report said.
About an hour later, in an unrelated accident, a tractor-trailer ran off Meyer Road west of Hwy. 67, leaving an Arkansas man injured, according to the report.
In the first accident, Wedde was driving a 2003 Hyundai Elantra north on Hwy. 67 when a northbound Chevrolet Tahoe struck the rear left side of the Elantra, which then began to spin and skidded across the median and into the southbound lanes, where it hit a southbound 2014 Chevrolet Silverado head on. The Elantra then ran off the left side of the interstate and overturned, the report said.
When the Elantra struck the Silverado, debris from that collision hit a southbound 2017 Jeep Patriot, which was driven by Malvina A. Turner, 24, of De Soto, the report said.
The driver of the Tahoe, who was identified as a 56-year-old De Soto man, left the scene before authorities arrived, according to the report.
The highway patrol did not have information about who was driving the Silverado, but the person reportedly was moderately injured and taken by Joachim-Plattin Ambulance to Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County.
No injuries were reported for Turner.
Wedde was pronounced dead at the scene by Joachim-Plattin Ambulance personnel.
Turner was wearing a seat belt, but it’s unknown if the others involved in the accident were wearing them, the patrol reported.
The Elantra and Silverado were totaled, and the Tahoe and Jeep had minor damage, the report said.
Not long after that four-vehicle accident, at 8:27 p.m., Stevie C. Marrs, 29, of Brookland, Ark., was injured when the tractor-trailer he was driving ran off Meyer Road near the scene, the patrol reported.
Marrs was driving a 2016 Kenworth 310 west on Meyer Road, and when he couldn’t complete a right turn, the trailer ran off the right side of the road and the tractor and the trailer it was pulling overturned into a creek bed, coming to rest on the passenger side, the report said.
He was moderately hurt and transported by Joachim-Plattin Ambulance to Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City, where he was treated and released, a hospital spokesman said.
Marrs was wearing his seat belt, the patrol reported.
The tractor-trailer was moderately damaged, the report said.