Salem, MO. – One man from Salem, MO. has been fatally injured following a noon-time crash in Phelps County.
This report comes from the Office of Troop I of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The driver of a Kawasaki motorcycle, identified as Thomas Zielinski, a 54-year-old Salem man, traveled off the left side of I-44 on Thursday, May the 2nd, causing his Kawasaki to overturn. Zielinski was ejected from the vehicle, before it traveled back into the roadway and struck a Kia Sedona in the opposing lane.
No one in the Kia was injured as a result of the accident, but Zielinski suffered injuries that were fatal in nature. He was pronounced deceased at 12:52pm by Doctor E.R. Cameron from Phelps Health in Rolla. Statistically, this is Troop I’s first fatal crash of May, and their 12th for the year of 2024.
The Highway Patrolman in charge of the investigation of this crash was Master Sergeant S.D. Altermatt of Troop I.
