A 50-year-old Farmington man died at the scene Friday morning after a tractor-trailer swerved into oncoming traffic on Missouri Route 8 in St. Francois County, striking his vehicle head-on. The truck driver suffered moderate injuries in the crash, which happened just before rush hour as commuters made their way along the rural highway.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the crash happened at about 7:42 a.m. Friday, according to firstalert4.com. Troopers said a tractor-trailer was traveling eastbound on Route 8 when a separate vehicle pulled out from Whippett Road and entered the eastbound lane in front of it.
Truck Swerved Into Oncoming Lane to Avoid Collision
To avoid hitting that vehicle, the tractor-trailer swerved left into the westbound lane, the station's report states. A vehicle traveling westbound on Route 8 then tried to avoid the oncoming tractor-trailer by steering onto the shoulder, but the front of the truck struck the front of that vehicle before the maneuver could clear the lane.
The driver of the westbound vehicle, identified only as a 50-year-old man from Farmington, died at the scene, per the same account. The tractor-trailer driver sustained moderate injuries, according to the Highway Patrol's report relayed by the outlet. The crash was also reported by KMOV, which confirmed the same sequence of events on Friday morning.
Second Deadly Crash on Route 8 This Year
Friday's wreck marks at least the second fatal crash on Missouri Route 8 this year. In June, a woman died and three others, including a child, were seriously injured in a separate crash on the highway in neighboring Washington County, according to a firstalert4.com report from that incident.
No further details on the identities of those involved in Friday's crash, the vehicles driven, or any citations stemming from the collision have been released.
