Ethanol Semi Crash Closes US 61 in Southern Pike County
A collision involving a car and a semi hauling ethanol at 11:55 Sunday morning resulted in a lengthy closure of US 61 in southern Pike County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol says a car driven by 35 year old Delbert Blackard of Florissant attempted to change lanes near Eolia and hit the front of a semi driven by 56 year old Jeffery Bruce of Roxana Illinois. The semi went off the road and overturned. Bruce was taken by air evac to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St Louis for treatment of serious injuries. Cleanup of the resulting ethanol spill forced detours of traffic in both directions on 61. MODOT says 61 was re-opened to one lane traffic in the southbound lanes and with both northbound lanes re-opened to traffic shortly after 8:30 p-m.