New Orleans man seriously injured in Phelps County crash

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 49-year-old man from New Orleans was seriously injured Sunday evening in a crash on Interstate 44 in Phelps County near mile marker 172, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

The report says the crash occurred when a 2026 Kenworth Complete – driven by the Louisiana man – was heading eastbound as it went off the left side of the road and hit a bridge support pillar.

The man was flown to University Hospital in Columbia after he suffered “traumatic injuries,” according to the report and a social media post from the Doolittle Fire Protection District.

The semi was “fully loaded with Press N Seal plastic wrap,” the post says. Crews began working on the fuel and oil spill that occurred in the crash after the patient was pulled from the vehicle, the post says. The bridge did not sustain any damage in the crash, the post says.

The truck was totaled. MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.