A head-on collision involving a dump truck and passenger car Wednesday afternoon on Highway 53 left a Poplar Bluff, Mo., man dead and his wife seriously injured.
Highway 53 near County Road 607 was closed for about three hours after authorities responded to the crash scene at 12:37 p.m.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol report, Jason R. Burgess, 41, was operating a 2006 Pontiac G6 southbound when it crossed the center line and struck a 1996 Mack truck, being operated by Randy N. Uhl, 46, of Poplar Bluff, head on. Uhl apparently was unhurt.
The truck jackknifed in the northbound lane, while the car came to rest about 25 yards away off the road in a grassy area. Debris from both vehicles littered the road, as well as both side ditches and the roof was ripped off the car.
Burgess, who was ejected from his car, was pronounced dead at 1:06 p.m. at the scene by Butler County Coroner Andy Moore.
Burgess' 44-year-old wife, Tonya D. Burgess, had to be extricated from the front passenger seat by Butler County firefighters, said fire Shift Commander Bobby Wicker.
After being removed from the car, emergency-medical-services personnel initially intended to fly Tonya Burgess from the scene; however, her condition apparently worsened, and she left the scene by ambulance.
Tonya Burgess subsequently was flown to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo., for treatment and later was transferred to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Mo. Her condition was not known at press time.
As officers processed the scene, "we rerouted traffic around on (County Road) 608 and 607," said patrol Cpl. Corey Tucker.
Missouri Department of Transportation officials "came down and assisted us in doing that," Tucker said. "They were a big help."
Traffic, Tucker said, was rerouted for a little more than three hours.
As part of the investigation, Tucker said, Sgt. Tim Pulley with the patrol's Major Crash Investigative Unit came to the scene, where he photographed the vehicles and took measurements.
Tucker expects crash team members will do their vehicle examinations today.
Due to oil and diesel fuel leaking from the truck, John Case, a state on-scene coordinator for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' emergency response program, also responded to the scene. While there, he reportedly contacted a representative of the truck's owner, Robertson Inc.
Once the vehicles were removed, Wicker said, firefighters washed off the highway, clearing the scene at 4:10 p.m.