Area man killed on 'black ice'

A Bell City man was fatally injured when he lost control of his truck on "black ice."

At 6:51 a.m. Tuesday at the intersection of Highway 61 North and Route ZZ, Ricky E. Gammons, 29, was eastbound on Highway ZZ near North Ridge Drive when he lost control of his vehicle on "black ice" at the bottom of the hill according to a report from the Sikeston Department of Public Safety. The vehicle skidded to the left going out of control up the hill then left the northside of the roadway. The truck hit an embankment, going airborne.

The driver's side door struck the westside of a utility pole and coming to rest on the southside of the utilty pole with the vehicle facing east.

Critically injured in the accident, Gammons was taken to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He was pronounced dead at 7:38 a.m. Wednesday.