A 72-year-old Ste. Genevieve woman who fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into the crossover cable on I-55 north of Hwy. A in Festus today (Aug. 30) was fortunate to walk away unhurt, a Festus Police spokesman said.
The woman was driving a 2008 Buick Century south on I-55 at 11:55 a.m. when she crashed, Cpl. Kevin Bloodworth said.
“The driver fell asleep and drove off the road,” he said. “She started swerving off the road before the entrance to A Highway. She was in the right lane and swerved left off the highway and down the ravine where she crashed into the crossover cable. The car ended up facing north. About 38 yards of crossover cable was damaged.”
The car was “severely damaged,” but the woman was not seriously hurt, Bloodworth said.
He said the car’s airbag did not deploy, but, fortunately, the woman was wearing a seat belt.
“She refused medical treatment on scene,” Bloodworth said.
The woman did not report having a medical condition but said she had been having trouble sleeping, Bloodworth said.
He said the southbound lane of I-55 was closed for about 40 minutes