Charles Bradley Batterton, 51, of Festus was seriously hurt Friday (May 6) in a motorcycle wreck on Hwy. A at Pounds Road in Festus, when a car made a U-turn in front of the motorcycle, Festus Police Chief Tim Lewis reports.
At about 4 p.m., Batterton was riding a motorcycle west on Hwy. A when the car, a 2000 Ford Escort, made the U-turn, Lewis said. The motorcycle struck the car, Lewis said, and then the driver of the car, a 22-year-old Pilot Knob man, allegedly left the scene of the accident, the chief said. He said several charges are being sought against the car's driver, including careless and imprudent driving.
“The Ford tried to make a U-turn from eastbound Hwy. A to the westbound lane and was struck by the motorcycle,” Lewis said. “The Ford fled west on Hwy. A.”
The Pilot Knob man and a passenger in the car, a 32-year-old Ironton man who was wanted on outstanding warrants, were arrested a short time after the accident, Lewis said.
He said Festus Police immediately put out a description of the car to other law enforcement agencies and soon after Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped the Ford at Hwy. 67 and Hwy. 110 south of De Soto.
Batterton had serious injuries to his back and law extremities and was taken by Joachim-Plattin Ambulance to Mercy Hospital Jefferson in CrystalCity and then airlifted to Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur, authorities reported.
He was listed in critical condition on Monday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The Pilot Knob and Ironton men were booked and released pending application for warrants.
“We are seeking charges of leaving the scene of a vehicle accident, driving while revoked and careless and imprudent driving against the driver,” Lewis said. “The passenger was found to have warrants against him from St. Louis County, Warrenton and Bridgeton.”