A pedestrian identified as Jamal Jones, a resident of the British Virgin Islands, was struck and killed early Friday by a tractor-trailer on Interstate 44 near Mt. Vernon, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred shortly after 5:30 a.m. in the eastbound lanes near mile marker 48. Highway patrol officials said the incident began when a passenger vehicle struck a deer and stopped in the driving lane. Jones, who was a passenger in the vehicle, exited to move the deer from the roadway when the tractor-trailer approached.
Sgt. Mike McClure of MSHP Troop D said the truck driver braked in an attempt to avoid a collision but struck both Jones and the vehicle. The tractor-trailer then overturned and came to rest on the south side of the highway.
The Missouri Department of Transportation said crews remained at the scene Friday morning to assist with clearing the roadway.
Highway patrol officials confirmed that Jones’s family had been notified.
Information for this report was provided by Ozarks First.
