Jefferson County Coroner Roger Hayse says a St. Charles, Missouri couple were killed in a crash on southbound I-57 near the Ina exit Thursday morning when their vehicle was crushed between two semi-trucks.
The driver of the car, 61-year-old Stanford Artman, was pronounced dead on the scene. His wife, 67-year-old Cynthia Artman, died at a St. Louis Hospital where she had been flown from the scene by an Air Evac helicopter.
Preliminary information indicates traffic had slowed for road work in the area and a previous traffic crash. The Artman car was traveling between two semi trucks when it was hit in the rear. The impact sandwiched the car between two trucks. The truck in front of the car was then pushed into a semi in front of it. None of the truck drivers were hurt.
Jefferson Fire reports a State Trooper on the scene from a prior crash was able to get the passenger out of the vehicle as a fire began in the car’s engine compartment. The trooper was able to knock down the blaze and confine it to the engine compartment until Jefferson Fire arrived. Jefferson Fire then extricated the driver who was pronounced dead on the scene.
The driver that hit the rear of the car was ticketed for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.
The crash occurred at ten Thursday morning with the southbound lanes of I-57 being closed until four pm. Some traffic was stuck from the area of the crash back to the Mt. Vernon exits. Jefferson Fire had one medical call of a man having difficulty breathing during the stopped traffic. Firemen approached from both directions and eventually made it to the scene. Because of the snarled traffic, the fire department transported the man to the hospital.
