A 54-year-old Pevely man died Monday afternoon, Dec. 1, after his pickup collided with a Rock Community Fire Protection District firetruck on I-55 north of Imperial Main Street, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office didn’t immediately release the name of the victim. The Highway Patrol no longer releases names of those involved in crashes.
The Highway Patrol said a 2021 Pierce pumper was parked in the right southbound lane with its emergency lights activated when a southbound 2004 Ford Ranger, driven by the Pevely man, slid, rotated and struck the rear of the firetruck. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene by Rock Township Ambulance District at 1:52 p.m. and taken to the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office by the Ambulance District, the report said.
Alyson Rotter, public information officer for Rock Community, confirmed the firetruck belonged to the district. She said no one else was injured.
“(Pumper) 7144 was struck in the rear while on the scene of a motor vehicle accident on Interstate 55,” Rotter said in a written statement. “All three crew members had exited the apparatus and were approximately 50-60 yards away, checking on the occupant of another vehicle that had gone off the interstate.
She said the pumper was originally dispatched to a motor vehicle accident on I-55 and was providing blocking and early warning for that scene.
“While crews were on scene, a separate pickup truck slid off the roadway,” Rotter said. “(Pumper) 7144 notified dispatch of this second incident and began checking on that vehicle and its occupant when another pickup truck struck the back of 7144.”
The driver of the pickup truck was not wearing a seat belt, the report said. Both vehicles were totaled, the report said.
Sgt. Dallas Thompson, a spokesperson for the Highway Patrol, said Rock Community had two firetrucks doing a lane drop in the right lane to protect other personnel working an accident. He said it appears the pickup lost control and began to slide, striking the second firetruck. He said the road was wet at the time.
The Highway Patrol reported two crashes with minor injuries on southbound I-55 north of Imperial about 1 p.m. Monday.
The Highway Patrol said at 1:01 p.m. a 19-year-old Bonne Terre man was driving a 2007 GMC Sierra when the vehicle slid and a 2023 Kenworth tractor-trailer struck the rear of the pickup. The Bonne Terre man was injured and taken to Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis County.
Both vehicles had moderate damage, and both drivers were wearing seat belts, the report said.
The Highway Patrol said a 77-year-old Imperial man was injured in a one-vehicle crash at 1:05 p.m. when his 2004 Silverado slid and traveled off the right side of the road. He was taken to Mercy Hospital South.
He was not wearing a seat belt, and the pickup had moderate damage, the report said.