Drunken driver may have caused fatal crash in Perry County

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- A fatal accident in Perry County that took the life of a recent high school graduate may have been caused by drunken driving, officials said Friday.

The accident occurred on Route B about a half-mile outside of Perryville, around 1:40 a.m. Sunday, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

A 29-year-old man driving a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix south was unable to negotiate a curve, crossed the center line and struck a northbound 1997 Ford F-150, patrol Cpl. Al Nothum said.

A patrol trooper at the scene of the accident arrested the Pontiac driver on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, Nothum said. He was taken to Perry County Memorial Hospital in Perryville with moderate injuries. Officials were awaiting test results to determine the man's blood-alcohol content level before pursuing charges.

The driver of the truck, David A. Grass, 18, of Perryville, was pronounced dead at 8:15 p.m. Sunday at Saint Francis Medical Center. Grass, a recent graduate of Perryville Senior High, died from injuries suffered as the result of the accident, Perry County Coroner Herbert Miller said.