Thayer, MO. – This morning US 63 North of Thayer was blocked off for a good portion of the day as a 3-vehicle accident occurred, involving a GigFire work van, a semi-truck, and a police vehicle.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, this fatality accident occurred when a Thayer Police Ford Explorer driven by Keith Price, 32 of Thayer, struck a GigFire express van attempting to turn left. This caused the van, driven by Joshua Parker, 29 of Calico Rock AR. to be pushed into the opposing lane and into the path of a freightliner semi truck driven by Shaun Hendrix, 47 of West Plains.
The van was destroyed on impact, killing the driver. The semi then caught fire after the collision and was abandoned by the driver as it traveled off the roadway and burned down off the roadway.
The driver of the semi was seriously injured and taken to Ozarks Healthcare in West Plains. Keith Price was taken to Ozarks Healthcare as well with moderate injuries.