Three men injured in Tuesday crashes on I-55 near Benton

Three men suffered moderate to minor injuries in three car crashes in the rain Tuesday on southbound Interstate 55 just north of Benton, Missouri.

The crashes shut down the interstate for more than an hour and forced authorities to divert traffic at Scott City.

A 2003 Freightliner tractor-trailer driven by Shawn L. Kidwell, 49, of Caruthersville, Missouri, jackknifed and struck a 1999 Lincoln Town Car driven by Desmone C. Winston, 36, of Sikeston, Missouri, about 2:45 p.m., according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

Winston suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Saint Francis Medical Center, according to the report.

At 3:20 p.m., a 2000 Chevrolet Blazer driven by Hector M. Hernandez, 30, of Sikeston changed lanes and was struck in the rear by a 2016 Freightliner Cascadia driven by Lekendra R. Gray, 30, of Proctor, Arkansas, near mile marker 82 north of Benton, according to a highway patrol crash report.

Hernandez suffered minor injuries and was taken to Saint Francis Medical Center, according to the crash report.

Minutes later, a 2000 Toyota Tacoma pickup driven by Marty E. Jackson, 59, of New Madrid, Missouri, struck a 2016 GMC pickup truck driven by Matthew A. Christian, 32, of Dexter, Missouri, three miles north of Benton, according to a crash report. The collision caused Christian to strike the median cable barrier.

A passenger in Jackson’s vehicle sustained minor injuries and was taken to Saint Francis Medical Center, according to the report.

bkleine@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

Interstate 55, Benton, Mo.