THREE people were killed and several others injured when a tractor-trailer plowed through slowed traffic in a construction zone.
Dashcam footage showed the big rig barreling into cars at full speed without slowing down, according to investigators.
Dashcam footage showed the big rig barreling into cars at full speed without slowing down[/caption]
Truck driver Richard Allen Holden plowed into slowed traffic in a Missouri highway construction zone, killing three people[/caption]
The deadly accident unfolded Sunday afternoon in Jefferson County, Missouri, on Interstate 55 near Festus.
Police said 45-year-old Richard Allen Holden was behind the wheel of a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia when it plowed through five vehicles.
The crash sparked a domino effect that crushed two more cars and left multiple victims trapped in mangled wrecks.
Three people were killed and four others were injured, including one woman still clinging to life in critical condition.
Holden has been charged with three counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter.
A probable cause statement revealed the truck showed “minimal or even no attempt” to brake before the violent impact.
Holden later told troopers: “I think I might have dozed off,” after slamming into slowed traffic, NBC local affiliate KSDK reported.
“I was looking out the window and thought I was slowing down for the construction zone. Next thing I know, I hear crashing,” he said in the statement.
The victims were identified as Vanessa Y. Knowles, 63, of Memphis, Tennessee, 66-year-old Donnie Briggs of Memphis and Darla P. Parris, 53, of Pevely, Missouri.
Parris was on a work errand in her white Kia when her car was destroyed in the pile-up, just feet from her highway exit.
Her family said photos from the scene showed the vehicle mangled almost beyond recognition.
Parris’ mother, Brenda, said the loss came one day after the second anniversary of her husband’s death.
“I lost my husband on September 27th, and then the very next day, Darla was killed,” she said.
Her sisters, Amy Hallemann and Eva Faulkner, described Darla as the heart of their family, devoted to her three daughters and six grandchildren.
The sisters also blasted Holden for negligence.
“You’re driving a deadly weapon,” Hallemann said.
“To fall asleep and be that negligent, and take people’s lives… I don’t know how you can live with yourself.”
They also pointed to dangerous conditions in the construction zone, with sudden lane closures and little warning for drivers.
“If traffic was flowing like normal, maybe she wouldn’t have been sitting there,” Hallemann said.
Faulkner added: “You have a second to decide which lane to go into. It’s scary.”
Sergeant Andrew Gadberry of the Missouri State Highway Patrol warned that drowsy driving can be just as deadly as drunk driving.
He urged drivers to use rest stops if they feel fatigued: “Take a nap. It’s better than dealing with what we’re dealing with right now.”
A breath test showed no alcohol in his system.
66-year-old Donnie Briggs of Memphis[/caption]
Darla P. Parris, 53, of Pevely, Missouri[/caption]
Vanessa Y. Knowles, 63, of Memphis, Tennessee (stock)[/caption]
