Several serious accidents over weekend

From hayrides to motorcycle rides, several local people were seriously injured in accidents over the weekend.

The St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department, Farmington Fire Department and Wolf Creek Fire Department all responded to a single vehicle accident with serious injuries around 3:30 a.m. today on Valley Forge Road on the outskirts of Farmington.

According to an official on the scene, a motorcyclist traveling eastbound on Valley Forge Road failed to negotiate a hairpin curve, left the right side of the road and crashed.

The driver was transported to Barnes in St. Louis by Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter. It was initially reported that he was in serious condition.

Further details were not available as of press time.

Prior that that accident, the highway patrol was kept busy Friday night into early Sunday morning with three separate accidents involving moderate to serious injuries.

A Park Hills woman was seriously injured in a hayride accident on Watson Road near West Road in St. Francois County on Saturday night.

According to the patrol, 35-year-old Crystal Coffman of Park Hills was sitting on the fender of an Oliver tractor during a hayride when the driver downshifted the tractor and the subsequent jolt caused Coffman to fall off the fender. She was then ran over by the tractor.

Coffman suffered serious injuries and was taken to Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur by Survival Flight helicopter. The incident happened at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.

Then at 1:50 a.m. Sunday the patrol responded to a one-vehicle accident on Hwy 32 near Brewer Road that left a Farmington man injured.

According to the report, 37-year-old Phillip Cook was driving a Ford Crown Victoria west on Hwy 32 when he struck a deer and traveled off the left side of the road before hitting a tree and rock embankment.

Cook’s car overturned and caught fire.

Cook was wearing his seat belt at the time of the accident. He sustained moderate injuries and was taken by the St. Francois County Ambulance District to Mineral Area Regional Medical Center (MARMC) in Farmington for treatment.

A Jefferson County teenager was injured in a one vehicle accident Sunday morning on Hwy 221 in St. Francois County.

The patrol reported that 17-year-old Cody McEntire of DeSoto was driving a 1995 Jeep Cherokee southbound on Hwy 221 when he traveled off the right side of the road and struck a utility pole, a church sign and a telephone electrical box.

McEntire was wearing his seat belt at the time of the incident and escaped injury. However a passenger, 15-year-old Hannah Davis of Dittmer, suffered moderate injuries. She was not wearing her seat belt.

Davis was transported by a St. Francois County ambulance to MARMC for treatment. The accident happened at 5:25 a.m. Sunday on Hwy 221 just north of Hilderbrecht Road.