MoDOT dump truck crash kills Missouri teen
Matthew Rudder, 17, was killed and another Missouri teen was seriously injured in an accident with a dump truck operated by MoDOT.
The accident took place just after noon at the intersection of Highway 63 and Route K. Rudder was riding in a 1997 Chevrolet S-10 pickup, driven by Christian Alvizo, 18. As the pickup traveled northbound on the highway, the MoDOT dump truck, driven by James Griffith, 25, attempted to enter the highway from Route K. According to the initial crash report on file with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Griffith failed to yield to the pickup and the dump truck struck the passenger side of the smaller truck. Both vehicles traveled through the intersection and into the grass median.
Rudder was rushed to University Hospital in Columbia where he was pronounced dead. Alvizo was also taken to University Hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Griffith was not listed as injured on the initial report.
The investigation into this fatal Missouri truck crash is ongoing. Local media reports say that prosecutors are waiting to receive all the facts before deciding whether to charge the driver.
