1 killed, 2 injured in Neosho crash

Jeff Lehr, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·2 min read

Sep. 9—NEOSHO, Mo. — Alcohol is believed to have been a contributing factor in a three-vehicle crash Wednesday night in Neosho that claimed the life of a 39-year-old man and injured two others, according to the Neosho Police Department.

Police said a Ford F-150 pickup truck pulled across Neosho Boulevard into the path of two northbound sport utility vehicles. The truck was struck initially by an SUV in the outside lane and then by a second SUV in the inside lane.

Two passengers riding in the bed of the truck were injured when they were thrown from the vehicle, according to police. They and a third occupant of the truck were taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital Joplin, where Jeremy Olmstead, of Neosho, was pronounced dead. Police said the other two occupants sustained moderate injuries.

All three drivers involved were tested for blood alcohol content, and the driver of the truck was determined to have been under the influence of intoxicants, police said. The driver's name and the names of those injured have not been released pending further investigation and the filing of charges.

—A Michigan truck driver sustained moderate injuries in a single-vehicle wreck at 12:30 p.m. Thursday on Interstate 44, about 2 miles west of Sarcoxie in Jasper County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Joseph M. Putnel, 47, of Beaverton, Michigan, was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital Joplin.

He was driving an eastbound semitruck that ran off the side of the road and overturned, the patrol said.

—An Aurora woman sustained moderate injuries in a two-vehicle crash at 4:20 p.m. Wednesday on Business Highway 60 at Verona in Lawrence County, the state patrol said.

Sara N. Reyes, 27, was taken by ambulance to Cox Monett Hospital.

She was driving a westbound car that crossed the centerline and struck an eastbound semitruck driven by Adrian C. Crumm, 55, of Aurora, the patrol said.