By Christine Byers
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Copyright 2007 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
DE SOTO, Mo. — Emergency response teams from across Jefferson County and neighboring counties descended on De Soto in the span of about an hour Wednesday to respond to brush fires and car wrecks.
The emergencies began about 2 p.m., with a collision on Route E near Upper Blackwell Road that led to a brush fire.
The Missouri Highway Patrol gave this account:
A 1993 Nissan Altima driven by Matthew Whitter, 16, of De Soto, was traveling north on Route E. Sara Falch, 30 of De Soto, was driving a 1998 Mercury Mountaineer. Falch was at a stop sign on Upper Blackwell Road and began making a left turn onto Route E when the front of her car struck the right rear side of Whitter’s car, authorities said.
The collision set one of the cars afire. That ignited a brush fire that spread across several acres before firefighters could extinguish the flames, said Lt. Andy Coleman of the De Soto Rural Fire Protection District.
Neither driver was injured, but Whitter’s passengers, Anthony Hattemar, 18, and Bliss Kinder, 16, both of De Soto, sustained serious injuries. Hattemar was taken to St. John’s Hospital by a helicopter, and Kinder was taken to Jefferson Memorial Hospital by ambulance.
About 30 minutes later, De Soto firefighters responded to another brush fire that started along Highway H near Dry Creek Road and crossed the highway twice before stopping at Maness Road. It burned about 30 to 40 acres before it was brought under control, Coleman said.
The cause was unknown. “It could have been a cigarette, or a spark from a power line in these conditions,” Coleman said of the 103-degree temperatures. “We’ve been training our guys to be rested up and drinking water all day, because when the conditions are like this, we usually think something is going to happen.”
Nobody was injured, and no homes were damaged, Coleman said.
The flames stopped just inches from Cheryl Gregory’s door. “It’s a little too close for comfort,” she said, as she looked at the singed lawn.
Within minutes of arriving on the scene of the second brush fire, emergency crews received a call for a head-on collision involving seven people just a few miles away, also along Route H - this time near Lynwood.
A 1997 Dodge Ram driven by Jerry Courtway, 35, of Richwoods was heading west on Route H when it crossed the center line and collided head-on with a 1986 Ford Bronco driven by Daniel Rodrigue, 17, of De Soto, the Highway Patrol says.
Courtway was taken to Jefferson Memorial by ambulance with minor injuries, and Rodrigue was taken to St. John’s Mercy Medical Center via helicopter with serious injuries, according to the Highway Patrol report.
Passengers in Courtway’s car included Elana Boyd, 34, and Shayne McCaine, 8, both of Richwoods, who were taken by helicopter to St. Anthony’s Medical Center. Boyd’s injuries were minor, and Shayne’s were described as moderate.
Passengers in Rodrigue’s car who were taken to hospitals with injuries described as moderate were: Anthony Cook, 21; Ryan Cook, 17; and Andrea Massa, 16, all of De Soto.
Emergency workers had the fires and accidents pretty well under control by 5:30 p.m. - around the same time as scattered showers broke out in the area.
“It’s a blessing,” Coleman said, as he let the rain fall on him. “Hopefully, everything will calm down now.”