A multi-vehicle crash on northbound I-55 in Jefferson County yesterday afternoon resulted in three fatalities and five injuries. The incident occurred around 3:30 p.m., leading to the closure of both lanes of the interstate for approximately five hours. According to reports, a tractor-trailer was involved in the collision, which triggered a chain reaction involving multiple vehicles. The interstate was reopened later that night, as reported by KSDK.
The collision involved eight cars and occurred when a tractor-trailer operated by 45-year-old Richard Holden from Greensburg, LA, failed to adjust to the slow-moving traffic, according to details from a crash report by Fox2Now. Following the initial impact, a Toyota Camry was struck, leading to subsequent collisions that ensnared a Nissan Pathfinder, a Kia Optima, and several other vehicles—a Dodge Ram 1500, a GMC 1500, a Toyota Corolla, and a Ford F-150. In the wake of the disaster, traffic was diverted to U.S. 61 as investigators and emergency services rushed to the scene.
The deceased were identified as a 63-year-old woman and a 63-year-old man, both from Memphis, Tennessee who were in the Toyota Camry, and a 53-year-old woman from Pevely who was driving the Kia Optima; the highway patrol's Major Crash Investigation Unit is handling the ongoing investigation. In a statement obtained by First Alert 4, MSHP reports that after the crash, Holden was taken into custody, though the specific charges have yet to be publicly disclosed.
