A 29-year-old Wentzville woman was killed Saturday afternoon when the car she was riding in crossed into the path of a commercial semi-truck on US 61 at Dietrich Road in St. Charles County, authorities say. The woman died at the scene, while the driver of her vehicle was airlifted to a St. Louis hospital with serious injuries.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a 2021 Toyota Camry was driving westbound through the crossover toward Dietrich Road when it crossed the southbound lanes of US 61 and drove into the path of a semi-truck traveling on US 61. The truck struck the right side of the Camry, and both vehicles went off the road, with the semi-truck overturning after impact, as first reported by KMOV.
The Camry's driver, also a woman, was seriously injured and flown by Survival Flight 5 to Mercy Hospital St. Louis. The other driver sustained only minor injuries.
State Troopers Reconstruct the Crash Scene
The investigation was handled by Trooper N. Downs along with the patrol's Major Crash Investigative Unit #2, with three additional troopers and local emergency crews assisting at the scene, per the same report. The scale of the response reflects the severity of a collision between a loaded commercial truck and a passenger sedan, which left both vehicles destroyed off the roadway.
A Familiar and Deadly Stretch of Highway
This is not the first time a crossover near Dietrich Road has turned fatal. In February 2023, a 74-year-old Troy woman was killed at the same intersection when a truck towing a trailer crossed the southbound lanes while turning onto Dietrich Road, and the woman driving southbound struck the trailer, according to KSDK. In May 2026, a 40-year-old Moscow Mills man riding an e-bike was struck and killed by a pickup truck on northbound US 61 just north of Dietrich Road, the Lincoln County Watch reported.
A 2026 analysis ranked the top 10 most dangerous interstates and highways, with I-70 topping the list at 159 crashes, according to FOX 2. The outlet also reports that state highways account for 45 percent of fatal traffic crashes statewide, compared with 17 percent on interstates and 20 percent on local streets.
Fixes Are Planned, But Years Away
The Missouri Department of Transportation began a Traffic Safety and Operations study in fall 2023 covering US 61 from the I-64/I-70 interchange to the Lincoln County line, reviewing corridor safety and crash data.
MoDOT has proposed building outer roads along both sides of US 61 between Dietrich Road and McHugh Road, a design meant to eliminate all remaining at-grade median crossovers in St. Charles County.
Saturday's crash occurred on US 61 near Dietrich Road. Hoodline previously covered a US 61 crash that critically injured a pregnant Wentzville mother in July.
