THREE INJURED IN CAR ACCIDENTS

Three men were seriously injured late Monday night in an accident in Bollinger County, the state Highway Patrol reported.

Steven Upchurch, 25, of Sedgewickville, was driving westbound on County Road 244 about five miles west of Sedgewickville when the accident occurred, Trooper A.M. Harrison reported. Upchurch lost control of his car, which ran off the roadway and struck a tree head on.

Riding with Upchurch were two Perryville men: Stephen Schultz, 40, and Raymond Dunn, 24.

All three were taken by ambulance to St. Francis Medical Center in serious condition. On Tuesday, Upchurch and Dunn were listed in fair condition. No information was available on Schultz, the hospital reported.

In an unrelated incident, Charles Cowell, 42, of Perryville, died Tuesday at St. John's Mercy Hospital in St. Louis from injuries received in an accident Aug. 6.

Cowell had been driving a tractor trailer about 9 a.m. going west on state Highway 34, reported Trooper Richard Ayers. He was one mile east of Piedmont when he swerved to avoid a car stopped in the roadway. His tractor trailer then went off the right side of the road, overturned and burst into flames.

Overall in Missouri, there have been 617 fatal accidents this year, the patrol reported. This is a 12 percent decrease over last year at this time.