Jackson woman cited for running red light in Cape Girardeau midday crash

A Jackson woman was cited for failing to stop at a red light Thursday afternoon after a rollover crash on one of Cape Girardeau's busiest streets sent her and the occupants of another vehicle to the hospital with minor injuries, police said.

Penny G. Blattel, was driving westbound on the always-busy William Street just as the lunch hour was getting underway when her white Chevy Equinox SUV collided with a red Ford F-150 that had been going north on Silver Springs Road, said Cape Girardeau Police Department spokesman Darin Hickey. The woman was extricated from the top of the SUV, which was on its side.

The driver of the Ford was a Cape Girardeau man, who had two passengers. All involved were taken to a hospital to be treated for minor injuries, Hickey said.

Possibly contributing to the wreck, Hickey said, was that the lights were flashing red because of a signal malfunction that a Missouri Department of Transportation employee was working on at the time of the wreck, Hickey said. The flashing red lights make the intersection a four-way stop. Police believe that, based on witness accounts, Blattel ran the red light and was hit broadside by the truck, which caused her vehicle to flip over.

The crash required a large response from police, firefighters and ambulance personnel, who had to treat the injured, clear the scene and direct traffic.

Pertinent address:

William Street and Silver Springs Road, Cape Girardeau, MO