Icy roads cause travel problems

HAYTI -- Ice and snow-covered roadways continued to challenge motorists Thursday, especially those traveling along Interstate 55 in Pemiscot County.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, an accident occurred at 8:30 a.m. on southbound Interstate 55 at the 19.4 mile-marker as southbound motorist Terry E. Whited, 40, of Cookville, Tenn., struck the rear of the southbound tractor-trailer driven by Michael K. Driscoll, 49, of Gatlinburg, Tenn.

Driscoll received minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to Pemiscot County Memorial in Hayti.

About 1 p.m. on southbound Interstate 55, a half-mile north of Steele, southbound motorist Austin W. Pranger, 55, of Fort Madison, Iowa, lost control on the ice-covered road and struck the rear of the southbound freightliner driven by Ronald R. Potter, 25, of Kalamazoo, Mich., according to Patrol.

Pranger's passenger, Jamie L. Specht, 42, of Debuke, Iowa, received serious injuries and was flown to Elvis Presley Trauma Center in Memphis, Tenn.

Then at 3:05 p.m. on northbound Interstate 55, four miles south of Hayti, a tow truck driver was outside his vehicle and attempting to remove from the median the parked northbound vehicle operated by Mike Doria, 50, of North Lauderdale, Fla., when northbound motorist John M. Andruscavage, 49, of Bolingbook, Ill., lost control of his freightliner on the snow-covered road, the Patrol said. Andruscavage's vehicle ran off the left side of the road and struck Doria's vehicle and the tow truck driver.

Injury information was unavailable at press time.