A 40-year-old man from Fairview Heights died early Thursday after his SUV ran off U.S. Highway 67, struck a sign and overturned on a grass embankment in West Alton. He was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash happened along southbound U.S. 67 north of Riverlands Way at around 4:20 a.m., according to the First Alert 4 report, which cited the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Troopers reported the man's death and the circumstances of the crash, but as STLtoday.com noted, his name has not been released.
Per the crash report, the driver overcorrected and began to slide along the road before crossing to the other side and going off the right shoulder. The SUV then struck a sign, slid down the grassy embankment, flipped over and hit the ground multiple times, ejecting the driver before coming to rest.
A Stretch of Highway Already Under Scrutiny
This is not the first fatal rollover troopers have investigated on U.S. 67 in West Alton. In a separate incident, a 52-year-old St. Louis man died late on a Friday night after the driver of a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro veered off the right side of northbound U.S. 67 near Missouri Route 94 and overturned, according to Fox 2 Now. That driver was also pronounced dead at the scene, and his identity was similarly withheld by the patrol, with Troop C handling the investigation.
Route 67 through West Alton has drawn safety concerns for years. A corridor assessment found 227 reported crashes between 2017 and 2022, including seven fatal injuries and 11 serious injuries, according to The Telegraph. About 65% of those crashes were associated with intersections, and prevailing speeds on the road were found to exceed 65 mph, roughly 12 to 15 mph above the posted 55 mph limit.
Safety Improvements Still Years From Finished
The Missouri Department of Transportation broke ground in spring 2026 on a Route 67 Safety and Operational Improvements project through West Alton, the same outlet reported. Plans call for new J-turn lanes, improved acceleration and deceleration lanes at cross streets, and upgrades to drainage, signing, lighting and guardrails along the corridor.
MoDOT engineers expect the $18.367 million project to wrap up in spring 2028, leaving the corridor under construction for some time to come. Thursday's crash remains under investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, which has not released further details about the driver or the cause of the crash.
