A man attempting to walk across I-55 in Festus this afternoon (Sept. 30) was struck by a car and seriously injured. The incident happened about 12:30 p.m. in the southbound lanes near the Hwy. A exit, Festus Police Chief Tim Lewis reported.
“He (the victim) was trying to walk across the interstate from west to east,” he said. “Witnesses said he apparently was talking on a cell phone while drivers tried to avoid him. A 2016 Ford Focus government vehicle struck him.”
Lewis said authorities are having difficulty identifying the victim.
“He looks like he’s in his 20s, but he has identification from Mexico and Honduras,” Lewis said. “We have not been able confirm the identification.”
Lewis said the victim was taken by Joachim-Plattin Ambulance to Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur.
He said the driver of the Focus, who is from Jackson, was not injured. He did not have other information about the driver.
I-55 at the accident site was shut down to traffic for about a half hour, Lewis said.