Truck driver killed in tanker truck crash on I- 55
Interstate 55 near Bloomsdale and Ste. Genevieve was shut down overnight Thursday and part of Friday morning after a tanker truck crashed and caught fire at 11:25 p.m. Thursday near the 157-mile marker.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, William Randolph, 47, was pronounced dead at the scene and was taken to Basler Funeral Home in Ste. Genevieve.
The report states the 2009 Mack tractor trailer was driving south on the interstate.
Trooper Juston Wheetley said Randolph was passing another vehicle at the time when his tractor trailer traveled off the left side of the roadway, struck a guardrail, jack-knifed, and overturned.
He said when Randolph struck the guardrail, the cab actually separated from the tanker/trailer. The tanker went into a creek and exploded. The cab overturned onto the interstate and caught fire.
No other vehicles were involved in the collision and no other injuries were reported.
It is unknown whether Randolph was wearing a seatbelt. It was also unknown what chemicals the tanker was carrying due to the intensity of the fire destroying the placards. Missouri Department of Natural Resources investigators were sent to the scene.
Missouri Department of Transportation officials also checked the bridge for damage but it is not believed there was any structural damage.
In a separate accident, a Park Hills woman was injured in a collision Friday morning after a car slid down an ice covered driveway onto Highway 221 near Rock Springs Road.
According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, Chantel L. Jordan, 29, was taken to Parkland Hospital by ambulance.
Crash scene investigators for the patrol reported Jordan was in a 2004 Ford Freestar driven by Billy D. Ely, 32, of Park Hills. A 1999 Monte Carlo driven by Amanda S. Goff, 26, of Park Hills slid into the path of the Ford Freestar on the ice-covered driveway.
Goff was not wearing a seatbelt according to the patrol.
In a separate accident – Two vehicles were involved in a collision at the intersection of Karsch Boulevard and Ste. Genevieve Avenue in Farmington shortly before 3 p.m. Friday. Details of the accident were not available at press time, so it’s not for certain if weather played a factor. Temperatures in the area dropped throughout the afternoon, prompting the Farmington School District to dismiss an hour early.” width=”800″ /> In a separate accident – Two vehicles were involved in a collision at the intersection of Karsch Boulevard and Ste. Genevieve Avenue in Farmington shortly before 3 p.m. Friday. Details of the accident were not available at press time, so it’s not for certain if weather played a factor. Temperatures in the area dropped throughout the afternoon, prompting the Farmington School District to dismiss an hour early.
