Three-car accident results in serious injuries

Jeannie Barton-Northrup, jnorthrup@dailyjournalonline.com

Traffic was slowed for about two hours at about 1:30 Monday afternoon due to a three-car accident on Highway 8 between Highway P and Maple Street.

Buckley’s Towing employees clean up Highway 8 after a Jeep Cherokee reportedly hit a Nissan Altima in the back end, shoving the Altima into the back of a stopped semi truck on Monday. Traffic was rerouted to Old Highway 8.

According to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP), a 2014 Kenworth W90 semi driven by Dwight M. Kay, 60, of Potosi, was stopped in the westbound lane of Hwy 8, waiting for traffic going the opposite direction to pass before turning onto Maple Street.

A 2022 Nissan Altima, driven by Chelsie B. Nash, 31, of Bismarck, was stopped behind the semi.

The report states the driver of a 2009 Jeep Cherokee, Michelle R. Riggs, 53, of Mineral Point, was traveling west and not paying attention to the road.

The patrol report says the Jeep hit the rear of the Altima and shoved it into the back of the semi.

The MSHP reports Nash, the driver of the Altima, was flown by helicopter to Mercy Hospital St. Louis in serious condition. Riggs was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital South. The report makes no mention of any injuries to Kay.

The Altima and Jeep reportedly were totaled, and damage to the semi was listed as minor. The Jeep was removed from the scene by Marler’s Towing, the Altima and the semi were removed by Buckley’s Towing.

Officers from the Desloge Police Department and St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department re-routed traffic to Old Highway 8 until the accident was cleared.