St. Louis Alderman Dies in Crash near Highway DUI Accident
On behalf of Brown & Crouppen, P.C. posted in Motor Vehicle Accident on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
A collision between a pickup truck and an 18 wheeler on Highway 370 in St. Charles County on Aug. 1 was relatively minor, but it led to a far more serious accident that caused the death of St. Louis alderman Gregory J. Carter. Carter died at the scene of a second accident that occurred near the earlier crash, which led to the arrest of the pickup driver for drinking and driving and involuntary manslaughter.
Carter, who first was elected as alderman for St. Louis’ 27th ward in 1993, was working his night job as a long haul driver for UPS. He was driving east on Highway 370 around 12:30 a.m. when he came upon a pair of tractor-trailers stopped in the middle of the highway. Carter was unable to stop in time and his truck crashed into the second semi truck.
The semi trucks had been forced to stop because a pickup truck was parked in the center of the road and its driver was circling the vehicle. The pickup had struck a third tractor-trailer moments earlier. That semi truck driver had pulled over onto the shoulder to avoid traffic.
After the second accident, the Missouri Highway Patrol arrested the pickup driver, 25, on suspicion of DUI and involuntary manslaughter, though he was not directly involved in the fatal collision.
Carter, who was 54, is survived by his wife and two adult children. The day of the accident, relatives and supporters gathered at his office and the ward’s joint community housing development office to prepare them for residents to pay their respects.
Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “St. Louis alderman killed in truck crash in St. Charles County,” Kim Bell and David Hunn, Aug. 1, 2012