A 49-year-old St. Louis woman died Tuesday evening, March 8, in a four-vehicle crash on Hwy. 21 south of its north junction with Vineland Road west of De Soto, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
Holly C. Francis, 49, of St. Louis was driving a 2014 Volkswagen Passat north on the highway, and Thomas J. Fitzgerald, 46, of House Springs, in a southbound 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 pickup, allegedly tried to improperly pass two other southbound vehicles, and the front left side of the pickup struck the front left side of the Passat, the report said.
Then, Francis lost control of the Passat, which spun into the path of a southbound 2011 Ford F250 pickup that struck the right side of the Passat. In addition, after the GMC pickup struck the Passat, that pickup returned to the southbound lane and struck the left side of a southbound 2017 Ford Explorer, which ran off the right side of the road and struck several trees, according to the report.
Fitzgerald was not arrested or cited, Cpl. Dallas Thompson said.
No injuries were reported for Fitzgerald.
Michael R. Ronchetto, 65, of Potosi was driving the Ford pickup. He was moderately injured and taken by Valle Ambulance to Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County, where he was listed in good condition Wednesday, March 9, a hospital spokesman said.
Robin E. Hayes, 36, of Cadet was driving the Explorer, and no injuries were reported for her.
Francis was pronounced dead at the scene, the report said.
Francis, Fitzgerald and Hayes were wearing seat belts, and Ronchetto was not wearing a seat belt, the patrol reported.
All four vehicles were totaled, the report said.