Semitrailer crash on bridge leaves three women hurt

The collisions of two tractor-trailers and a minivan on the Mississippi River bridge Thursday night caused more than an hour of traffic delays and injured three women.

A westbound semitrailer, driven by Robert Ferguson, 41, of Marion, Ill., first rear ended the Ford minivan carrying four adults and two small children. It then collided with a second semitrailer, driven eastbound by Robert Elliot, 50, of Olmstead, Ill.

The accident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. on the Missouri side of the bridge. There was no apparent damage to the bridge.

Cape Girardeau police officer Shawn Westbrooks said Ferguson was following the minivan too closely. The minivan was driven by Clarence Dougherty, 68, of Herrin, Ill.

"When Mr. Ferguson tried to slow down, he locked up his brakes, and his truck started skidding and sliding," Westbrooks said. "Hitting the van threw him into the other truck."

Westbrooks issued Ferguson a summons for following another vehicle too closely.

Dougherty said he never saw the approaching tractor-trailer and was not aware the truck behind him was having problems until it hit his van.

The two tractor-trailers hit so hard they became struck together and had to be pulled apart by a tow truck before the road could be cleared.

"There was enough structural damage to the front driver's side of the trucks that with so much metal to metal, they became jammed together," Westbrooks said.

Bridge traffic was backed up for several blocks on the Cape Girardeau side, causing a delay of more than an hour for drivers.

The crash shattered the rear windshield of Dougherty's van and smashed the hatch door. About a dozen police officers and firefighters responded to the scene, investigating the accident and tending to the injured.

Dougherty's wife, Judy Dougherty, 44, mother-in-law, Pauline Spiller, 77, of Centerville, Ill., and stepdaughter Jennifer Morgan, 19, of Du Quoin, Ill., were placed on stretchers and taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital with minor injuries.

Morgan's two children, 1-year-old daughter Maya and infant son Koby, were taken along with them.

After the crash, Clarence Dougherty stood next to his van, waiting to be interviewed by police, worried about not knowing whether the children were injured.

"I don't know -- all I know right now is that I'm here," he said. "I hope they're OK."

Westbrooks later said responders did examine the children but found they had not been injured.

A similar accident involving a tractor-trailer and a recreational vehicle blocked up the bridge July 31. A truck pulling an oversized load became wedged next to a motor home, but no injuries were reported.

mwells@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160