A Mississippi man was seriously injured Wednesday (Sept. 29) in a two-vehicle accident on I-55 at the 160 mile marker in Ste. Genevieve County. He was a passenger in a vehicle driven by an Imperial man, who was not injured in the crash, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
At 2:40 p.m., Craig A. Ochterbeck, 51, of Imperial was driving a 2019 Ford cargo van north on the interstate and struck the back of a northbound big rig, and then the van ran off the right side of the road and struck a rock bluff, the report said.
Yocheved A. Solomon, 35, of Marietta, Ga., was driving the big rig, a 2020 Freightliner. No injuries were reported for her.
No injuries were reported for Ochterbeck either. However, Christopher Sutton, 30, of Greenwood, Miss., who was riding in the van, was taken by helicopter to Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur, where he was listed in satisfactory condition Thursday afternoon (Sept. 30), a hospital spokeswoman said.
All those involved in the accident were wearing seat belts, the patrol reported.
The van was totaled, and the big rig had minor damage, the report said.