EUREKA, Mo. — A wrong-way driver caused a fatal crash Sunday evening in Eureka near Six Flags St. Louis, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The crash happened at about 5:55 p.m. Sunday on westbound Interstate 44, according to MSHP. A 2013 Ford F150 pickup truck was driving eastbound in the fast lane, and a 2017 Hyundai Sonata driving westbound swerved to the left to avoid the truck, causing the car to crash into the concrete median. The pickup truck then swerved to the right, struck the Sonata and traveled into the second lane before striking a westbound semitruck and a 2019 Lincoln Navigator that was driving behind the Sonata.
After being struck by the pickup, the semitruck traveled off the right side of the roadway, struck a guardrail and overturned.
The driver of the pickup truck, 62-year-old Lane Rakow of Eureka, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to MSHP. The semitruck driver suffered moderate injuries in the crash and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
All four westbound lanes of westbound I-44 and one eastbound lane were closed as crews worked the scene, with traffic to St. Louis County diverted onto Missouri Route 109. All lanes were reopened by about 9:25 p.m., according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.