Fenton man dies in head-on collision

A Fenton man was killed and an Irondale man received moderate injuries Thursday in a head-on collision on Route M, about .1 mile west of Route BB, in St. Francois County.

According to Missouri Highway Patrol reports, Fenton resident Jerry W. Bunch, 31, was westbound in a 1996 Plymouth Neon at 4:50 a.m. when he tried to pass a trailer truck. When Bunch pulled into the eastbound lane, he collided head-on with a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Steven K. Pirtle,  24, of Irondale.

Bunch, who had been wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene. Pirtle, who had not been wearing a seat belt was taken by ambulance to Parkland Health Center in Farmington. Damage to both vehicles was listed as total.