FOUR KILLED, SEVERAL INJURED IN ACCIDENTS

Four people were killed and several people were injured in three accidents in Missouri.

Parris Williams, 9, of St. Louis was killed and nine others injured as the result of a three-vehicle accident Saturday afternoon near New Madrid.

Williams was killed when he was thrown from the 1997 Ford Van driven by Rhonda Reed, 33, also of St. Louis. The van, southbound on Interstate 55 at the 43 mile marker, went into the median after a tire blew out. The van overturned several times and then turned back into then northbound lane of the interstate.

A 1989 Buick driven by Gerald Rose, 46, of Hot Springs, S.D., and a 1995 Freightliner tractor trailer, driven by Jerry Hehn, 47, of Hettinger, N. D., both northbound, hit Williams.

Williams was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rose and Hehn were not injured.

Reed was taken to the Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston and remains in intensive care.

Passengers of Reed's vehicle, Calvin Hill, 13, of St. Louis and Brandi Hill, 2, of St. Louis were taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital by helicopter.

Other passengers in Reed's vehicle, Rachell Demming, 12, Tanetta Hill, 19, Alisha Hill, 10, Danyelle Williams, 6, Crystal Adams, 10, and Ebony McCray, 12, all of St. Louis, were treated and released from Missouri Delta Medical Center.

Several occupants of Reed's vehicle were ejected and only Reed was wearing a seatbelt.

An accident on U.S. Highway 60 claimed the lives of three people Friday night.

At 7:45 p.m. a 1986 Mercury driven by Gregory Leadbetter, 19, of Broseley, passed another vehicle and went out of control. Pulling out into the driving lane, he crossed over the center line and hit a westbound 1994 GMC pickup driven by Larry Nunley, 45, of Fisk.

Leadbetter and Nunley died. A passenger in Leadbetter's vehicle, Sheila Sauls, 16, of Poplar Bluff also died

Three passengers in Nunley's pickup were injured. Sammie Redmond, 21, of Broseley was admitted to the Presley Trauma Center in Memphis. Also admitted to Presley was passenger Emily Montague, 16, of Fisk. Richard Simmers, 20, of Poplar Bluff was treated and released at Lucy Lee Hospital in Poplar Bluff.

Marty Nicolini, 29, of Poplar Bluff, a passenger in Leadbetter's vehicle was admitted to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis as a result of his injuries. Another passenger, William Midyett, 30, also of Poplar Bluff, was admitted to Doctors Hospital in Poplar Bluff.

Only Midyett was wearing a seatbelt.

A St. Marys man, Clifford Bova, 18, was admitted to St. Louis University Hospital as a result of his injuries in a one-car accident early Saturday.

Bova lost control of his vehicle two miles from Route M on Highway 61. The vehicle traveled off the roadway and overturned.

He was not wearing a seatbelt.