Patrol still looking for pickup involved in accident

The Missouri State Highway Patrol was still searching Monday for a pickup truck that left the scene of two accidents on Saturday, including one that led to the death of an 18-year-old St. Louis man.

The patrol referred inquiries to its Web site, which said patrolmen were still looking for a red Ford pickup, which had been pulling a utility trailer loaded with firewood.

The release said that on Saturday at about 12:30 p.m., the patrol investigated a four-vehicle fatal accident on Interstate 55, four miles north of the Benton, Mo., exit.

Police believe the accident occurred when the truck began losing part of its load onto the roadway.

A northbound 1999 Isuzu attempted to avoid the debris and lost control in the median, overturned and ejected the driver and 15-year-old passenger, police said.

The driver, identified as 18-year-old Daniel P. Ryan Jr. of St. Louis, died after he landed in the southbound lanes of the interstate and was struck by a southbound vehicle.

Approximately 10 minutes before the fatal accident, the patrol investigated a multiple-injury accident involving a motorcycle on Interstate 55, three miles north of Miner, Mo.

The same red Ford pickup and utility trailer are believed to have contributed to the accident in a similar manner by dropping firewood onto the roadway. The two injured occupants of the motorcycle were treated at an area hospital for minor to moderate injuries.

The patrol requests that anyone with information concerning these accidents or identity of the red Ford pickup to call Troop E Headquarters in Poplar Bluff at (573) 840-9500.