Witness describes crash on I-70 that killed assistant fire chief
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
On Wednesday morning, several people stopped to help direct traffic on the first crash involving a box truck on westbound I-70.
Good Samaritan, Larry Bowling was traveling home to Utah when he stopped to help direct traffic after a box truck crashed on I-70 east of Columbia around 4 a.m.
Watch a Boone County Fire Protection District news conference in the player below.
Bowling said it was just minutes later when a driver of an 18-wheeler came barreling through launching him to the ground, then crashing into Assistant Fire Protection Chief Bryant Gladney's emergency SUV.
"I seen this truck come over the hill and I could tell that he was going 70 miles an hour, no doubt in my mind. When he came by me he blew me down face first, I mean two inches he could run over my toes., Bowling said.
Once Bowling realized what happened he rushed over to assist Gladney and emergency crews on the scene took action and extricated Gladney out of the vehicle.
Minutes later Bowling says the driver got out of his 18-wheeler and asked him if there were any injures.
Bowling says, "He said did I hurt anyone? I said you killed the officer in that emergency vehicle right there and he started saying, oh my god, oh my god, and he sat down and he said I was trying to stop man. "
Gladney was taken to University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Bowling says everyone needs to slow down and be safe.
"I want his family to know that I sent my deepest condolences to them all because it's just the wrong time of the year for stuff like this to happen, which any time is," Bowling said.
Missouri State Highway Patrol released the initial crash report after 6 p.m. The report names Kevin Bunson, 64, of Kansas City, Mo. as the driver of the 18-wheeler that killed Gladney.
