Family seeks damages in Jefferson City pedestrian death

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The family of a Holts Summit woman killed when a truck hit her in 2020 in Jefferson City has sued the truck driver, his employer and another driver over her death.

Julie Hentges, 50, was killed while walking across Country Club Drive at Rainbow Drive on Dec. 30, 2020, when a truck driven by Melvin Dutton hit her. Hentges was walking on the street because she had stopped and gotten out of her vehicle to help another woman, Katrina Spencer, who was involved in an earlier crash, according to the lawsuit filed by Hentges' widower and her daughter.

Hentges' survivors sued Spencer, Dutton and Principle Merchants Leasing LTD., Dutton's employer, last week in Cole County court.

The family is suing Spencer because her crash created the circumstances that contributed to Hentges' death, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges Dutton did not use proper care in operating the full-size pickup truck when it hit Hentges.

No hearing dates have been set.