A 21-year-old Festus man and a 37-year-old Imperial man who were seriously hurt last week after they crashed a stolen pickup on I-55 south of Festus during a police pursuit were still hospitalized Monday (March 4), authorities reported.
The 21-year-old allegedly was driving the pickup, and the 37-year-old was a passenger in the truck, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
The pickup, a 1995 Ford F-150, reportedly was stolen about 6:30 a.m. March 1 from Summit Insulation, a business at 10707 Business 21 in Hillsboro, said Steve Meinberg, police administrator for the Hillsboro Police Department.
“It was a work truck,” Meinberg said.
He said the pickup was reported stolen after an employee from the company was headed to work and spotted the pickup traveling the opposite way on Business 21 and didn’t recognize the driver.
Meinberg said it is not known how those who stole the pickup got inside it.
At about 11 a.m., a Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted the stolen vehicle and began pursuing it, Bissell said.
“Our deputy was westbound on Hwy. A when he saw the vehicle eastbound on A,” Bissell said. “He changed direction and pursued it, ended up beside the vehicle. The deputy continued pursuing to (I-55) southbound. (The driver) made some kind of sharp turn onto northbound 61-67.”
The deputy could not make the turn at that point and the Missouri State Highway Patrol continued the pursuit, said Cpl. Juston Wheetley of the highway patrol.
The pickup ended up back on southbound I-55, and at 11:13 a.m. near mile marker 172.4 south of Festus, it ran off the right side of the interstate and struck a tree, the patrol report said.
Both men were transported by Joachim-Plattin Ambulance, with the 21-year-old taken to Mercy Hospital South in south St. Louis County, and the 37-year-old to Mercy Hospital St. Louis in Creve Coeur, the report said.
A Mercy South spokesman said the 21-year-old was transferred to Mercy St. Louis, and a Mercy St. Louis spokeswoman said the 21-year-old was in “good condition” Monday.
However, the spokeswoman said the hospital had no information about the 37-year-old.
Wheetley said Monday that both men were still hospitalized and will be arrested when released from hospital care.
Both men were wearing seat belts, the patrol reported.
The pickup was totaled, the report said.
Both southbound lanes on I-55 near mile marker 172 were closed after the crash.
“About 12:30 p.m., they opened one lane of southbound 55,” Wheetley said.