On Tuesday, September 4, 19-year old Blake Smith was injured in a multi-vehicle accident on MO-51, not far from Puxico in Stoddard County.
The accident occurred at approximately 9 PM when Curtis Keeny, a resident of Puxico, attempted to pass a vehicle operated by Ms. Melissa Armstrong, 36, also of Puxico. Mr. Keeny failed to judge the distance correctly, and struck Ms. Armstrong’s vehicle from behind. The collision caused Mr. Keeny to lose control of his vehicle, in turn causing it to cross over the center line where it struck Mr. Smith head on.
According to the official crash report, Mr. Smith suffered severe, life-threatening, injury and had to be rushed by AirMed to Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis for life-saving medical intervention. As of reporting, Mr. Smith was alive and remains in the care of hospital staff.
None of the parties involved were wearing their safety belts at the time of the incident, and authorities are investigating whether or not this fact may have played a role in the extent of Mr. Smith’s injuries.
All of the vehicles suffered significant damage in the incident, and no other drivers or occupants were involved or injured.
