PHELPS COUNTY, Mo. — A trucker was severely injured in a one-vehicle crash when a semi truck hit a bridge pillar on Interstate 44 near Rolla, Mo.
Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) identified the driver as a 49-year-old man from New Orleans in its online crash report.
According to a post on Facebook by the Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District (DRFPD), the crash occurred Sunday night around 5:47 p.m. at the 172 mile marker for a tractor trailer crash with a possible fatality and entrapment. The tractor trailer had reportedly struck the bridge pillars.
DRFPD said when it arrived, it located a heavily damaged tractor trailer with one occupant entrapped inside.
“Fortunately the occupant was still alive but entrapped and suffering from traumatic injuries,” DRFPD stated. “Crews were able to extricate the patient in 11 minutes. The subject was ultimately flown to a trauma hospital for treatment of his injuries.”
The truck had initially caught fire but bystanders were able to extinguish the fire using a fire extinguisher, DRFPD’s post stated.
After the driver was resuced, crews began working on a large fuel and oil spill. The spill was quickly contained and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MODNR) was contacted.
MODNR has already started coordinating the site cleanup.
Also a bridge ispector from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) deemed that the bridge did not suffer any damage in the crash.
The truck was fully loaded with Press N Seal plastic wrap.
Bruce Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has lived in three states including Arkansas, Missouri and Georgia. During his nearly 20-year career, Bruce has served as managing editor and sports editor for numerous publications. He and his wife, Dana, who is also a journalist, are based in Carrollton, Georgia.
