JACKSON WOMAN IN CRITICAL CONDITION

A Jackson woman was in critical condition Friday night after her vehicle and a tractor trailer collided on Highway 177 near Fruitland earlier in the day.

Deborah Shank, 45, was airlifted to Southeast Missouri Hospital after the 11:09 a.m. accident 3 miles east of Fruitland.

Her passenger, Phyllis Evans, 56, of Jackson was taken to the same hospital with moderate injuries.

According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, Shank was driving eastbound on Highway 177 when she pulled onto the shoulder and attempted to make a U turn. She turned into the path of an eastbound tractor trailer driven by James Shivers, 26, of Longview, Texas, according to the patrol, and the right front corner of the tractor trailer struck the driver's door of the Shank vehicle. Both vehicles came to rest on the north side of the roadway.

Shivers was not injured. His passenger, Stephanie Shivers, 22 , of Longview was taken to Southeast Hospital with minor injuries.