Autopsy: Cape man died after being struck by vehicles

Darnell Young died of injuries sustained when a car and a pickup truck ran over his prone body on Nash Road, an autopsy revealed.

The examination of his body showed no injuries that could have been caused by him being hit by an unknown car, Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Cody Fulkerson said Wednesday.

The only unanswered question, Fulkerson said, is what toxicology tests will reveal. Those results will come in four to six weeks, he said.

Young, 42, an employee of Botkin Lumber Co. Inc., was about 3/4 of a mile away from his place of work Monday when he was run over by a Honda Accord and a Mazda pickup truck. Young reported for work at his normal shift time of 4 p.m., left after complaining of stomach problems at 4:45 p.m. and returned to work about 6:20 p.m., company officials said.

Young left again without notifying anyone. At 7 p.m. he was seen walking in the westbound lane of Nash Road, Fulkerson said.

He was run over at 7:08 p.m.

Family members sought the autopsy after the patrol was prepared to close the case late Monday night. Young lived at 412 Koch Ave. and leaves behind a wife, Susan Young, who he married in August 2004. His mother, a brother and two sisters also live in Cape Girardeau. He had three daughters in Chicago as well as two stepsons and a stepdaughter who live in Cape Girardeau.

"It was the injuries he sustained from being run over by the two vehicles that killed him," Fulkerson said. "He had severe, fatal internal injuries. There were no injuries on him that would have been sustained while he was standing up."

The case is now closed, Fulkerson said.

The patrol owes thanks to the numerous people came forward to report what they saw in the minutes leading up to Young's death, Fulkerson said.

"I spoke with witnesses who saw him right at 7 o'clock and that is as close as we are going to get," Fulkerson said. "It was a tragic accident."

rkeller@semissourian.com

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