Crime & Safety
Falling Furniture Causes Crash on I-70
Two St. Charles youths sustained injuries when the Scion they were riding in swerved to avoid the debris and overturned in the median.
Story by Tamara Duncan
Kyle J. Brownlow, 40, of Wentzville, was driving a 2004 Ford truck westbound on Interstate 70 Saturday when furniture fell from his truck, causing two cars to crash and sending two minors to the hospital.
The incident happened just east of Lake Saint Louis Boulevard, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
Mark A. Ballman, 48, of O'Fallon, driving a 2012 Chevrolet pickup, was the first to hit the furniture. He was not injured, and his truck sustained minor damage.
A 2005 Toyota Scion driven by Robert C. Atkinson, 46, of St. Charles, attempted to avoid the debris and switched lanes to the left, where the Scion was struck by a 2008 Honda Pilot driving by Thomas G. Ebert, 51, of Glen Carbon, IL.
Ebert struck the median, as did Atkinson's Scion, which then overturned.
Two passengers in the Scion, 12-year-old Gavin J. Atkinson and 16-year-old Shannon N. Atkinson, both of St. Charles, sustained minor injuries and were taken by ambulance to St. Joseph Health Center.
All drivers, and the two injured passengers, were wearing safety devices.
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