Charleston officer injured after semi-truck strikes patrol car

An officer with Charleston (Missouri) Department of Public Safety received serious injuries after a semi-truck struck the rear of the patrol car he was driving Tuesday, Jan. 31, in Mississippi County.

According to the state Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at 7:18 p.m. on northbound Interstate 57 at the 14.2 mile marker. The patrol said the northbound semi-truck driven by Kenneth D. White, 44, of Memphis, Tennessee, was traveling too fast for road conditions and failed to yield to the lights of the northbound patrol car operated by Charleston officer Joshua A. Maldonado, 32, of Charleston and struck the rear of the patrol car. The interstate was reportedly shut down for several hours.

Maldonado was flown to Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.

According to Charleston DPS director Robert Hearnes, Maldonado has been treated and released.

"Keep him in your thoughts and prayers," Hearnes said of Maldonado in a social media post. "When you see first responders ahead, please slow down."