Three crashes on Thursday injured five people, including an off-duty Pulaski County sheriff’s deputy.
The day’s first crash was a two-vehicle wreck north of the Pulaski County line on Highway 42 about 1.2 miles east of Route C in Miller County. According to Missouri State Highway Patrol reports, Joseph L. Bell, 22, of St. Robert, was westbound on Highway 42 driving a 1998 Chevrolet Lumina at 7:55 a.m. when he crossed the center line and his vehicle was struck by an eastbound 2002 Chevrolet Impala driven by Betty J. Rodden, 58, of Brumley.
Bell, who had not been wearing his seat belt, was ejected through the windshield and suffered serious injuries. Rodden, who had been wearing her seat belt, was also seriously injured. Both were transported by ambulance to Lake Regional Hospital for treatment.
Bell’s vehicle was totaled and removed by Hi Tech Towing. Rodden’s vehicle was extensively damaged and removed by Whitten’s Towing.
A single-vehicle crash caused moderate injuries to both Deputy John D. Snyder, who was not on duty, and his passenger when their red 2003 Toyota Corolla ran off Highway T about a half-mile south of the Swedeborg School, careened into a stand of trees, and hit a tree head-on.
Airbags did deploy in the car and initial reports indicated extrication of the vehicle occupants would be needed along with a possible helicopter ambulance. When Crocker firefighters arrived at the crash scene, they and paramedics from the Pulaski County Ambulance District determined that the injuries were broken limbs and did not require helicopter transport.
Troopers reported that Snyder, 35, of Newburg, had been southbound on Highway T at 3:15 p.m. when his vehicle ran off the right side of the roadway and struck the tree. Snyder and his passenger, Debra M. Holmes, 27, of Waynesville, had both been wearing their seat belts and both suffered moderate injuries.
The vehicle was totaled and removed by Rothmund’s Towing.
A Pulaski County deputy also assisted at the crash scene; the deputy, firefighters and civilians worked for about an hour to slow traffic on a winding road while troopers investigated the crash and the towing company removed the car from the treeline.
About 5:28 p.m., troopers received a report that a car had run into the median guide cables on Interstate 44 near mile marker 151, about five miles west of the Waynesville exit. When emergency personnel arrived, they found a 2000 Ford driven by Jaclyn S. Boismenue, 18, of Hazelwood, who had tried to avoid stopped traffic on the eastbound lane of I-44, ran off the left side, and struck the guard cables, causing extensive damage to her vehicle.
Boismenue suffered only minor injuries and was taken to Phelps County Regional Medical Center in Rolla. Her vehicle was removed by Rothmund’s Towing.