A 23-year-old St. Louis man died early Sunday morning (March 5), several hours after he was seriously hurt in a two-vehicle accident at Hwy. 67 and Montauk Drive south of Festus, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reports.
At 8:14 p.m. Saturday (March 4), the man – Elija R. Montgomery-Smith – was headed west in a 1998 Saturn SL and while attempting to cross the northbound lanes of Hwy. 67, he pulled into the path of a northbound van driven by Gregory L. Schug, 54, of Paragould, Ark., the report said.
The front of the van, a 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan, struck the left side of the car, and then the van traveled into the median and struck a road sign, according to the report.
No injuries were reported for Schug, but Montgomery-Smith was seriously hurt, and a passenger in the car – Karisa N. Evans, 22, of Arnold – was moderately injured, the report said.
Montgomery-Smith was taken by helicopter to Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur, where he was pronounced dead at 1:18 a.m. the next day, according to the report.
Evans was taken by Joachim-Plattin Ambulance to Mercy Hospital St. Louis, where she was listed in satisfactory condition this morning (March 6), a hospital spokeswoman said.
Schug was wearing a seat belt, but Montgomery-Smith and Evans were not wearing a seat belt, the patrol reported.
The car was totaled, and the van was extensively damaged, the report said.