ONE DEAD, SIX HURT IN FRUITLAND CRASH

FRUITLAND, Mo. -- A two-vehicle accident killed one person and sent six others to hospitals with moderate to serious injuries Wednesday.

A full-sized pickup truck and a sports utility vehicle collided at Route C and U.S. 61 about 6:40 p.m., the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.

A person in the pickup died, said Capt. Ron Kistner of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department.

Three men and three women were injured in the accident, but their identities were being withheld pending notification of relatives. A boy who was approximately 11 years old was not seriously injured, Kistner said. The roads were slick from rain.

Two helicopters landed on Route C about 7 p.m. to fly the most seriously injured to St. Francis Medical Center. Ambulances also responded to the accident.

The Cape Girardeau and Fruitland fire departments responded, along with officers from the Highway Patrol and the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department.

Traffic backed up on U.S. 61 as emergency personnel worked to pull the victims from their vehicles. With darkness approaching, the rain resumed, sending onlookers scurrying for their cars.