ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A fiery multi-vehicle pileup on northbound Interstate 270 through south St. Louis County early Thursday left one motorist dead and another hurt, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported, and shut the freeway for much of the morning near Missouri Route 21.
MoDOT flagged the wreck shortly before 4 a.m. Patrol details said a refuse truck and a pickup were already stopped in the third lane after an earlier bump when a heavy tractor-trailer arrived without enough room to brake cleanly. The big-rig driver swerved right, still clipped the pickup, and that pickup then slammed into the refuse truck.
The tractor-trailer driver, 58, died where the vehicles came to rest. A 32-year-old occupant of the pickup was listed in serious condition. A companion account keyed to Tesson Ferry Road identified the dead driver as a Bonne Terre man behind the wheel of a 2015 Western Star 4900 and said the pickup was a Ram 1500 shoved into a Peterbilt and a concrete barrier.
Northbound lanes stayed blocked deep into the commute, with backups still noted around 11 a.m. Highway crews steered morning traffic onto a Route 21 diversion toward South Lindbergh Boulevard or Route 141 while wreckers cleared the northbound scene.
About 8 a.m., responders also worked a separate three-vehicle crash on the southbound side opposite the main wreck, including a vehicle that rolled on the southbound entrance ramp. Troopers said at least one person was injured in that second crash, and the on-ramp stayed closed until that scene was cleared. Patrol and MoDOT continued updating motorists as lanes reopened in stages.
Section: More St. Louis MO crime news
Filed under: St. Louis MO Traffic News