1 Person Killed, 2 Injured After Tractor-Trailer Crashes into 3 Homes

A quiet Missouri neighborhood was rocked by a terrifying crash when a tractor-trailer flew off an interstate, smashed through a concrete barrier and plowed into three homes.

The violent wreck left the truck driver dead and two other people injured.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash happened around 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, along Interstate 255 in south St. Louis County.

Authorities said the tractor-trailer, driven by a 52-year-old man from Jerseyville, Illinois, clipped the back of an SUV near Koch Road.

The semi then veered off the right side of the interstate, tore through a concrete barrier, crossed an outer road and barreled into a residential neighborhood.

By the time it finally stopped, the massive truck had struck three houses and two parked vehicles.

The truck driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

The SUV was carrying a 73-year-old woman and a 14-year-old passenger. Both suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment.

For homeowners Alice Kosick and her husband, the crash came without warning.

Kosick said they suddenly heard the truck slam into their garage, sending debris flying through their home.

“It was like a bomb went off,” she told First Alert 4.

Her husband had been sitting in a chair watching television when the impact happened. Kosick said the high back of the chair may have helped shield him as debris blasted through the room.

Witnesses who saw the tractor-trailer leave the highway immediately rushed toward the damaged homes.

Kosick said several people, including truck drivers who had apparently witnessed the crash, ran down to help her and her husband get safely out of the house.

Neighbor Wendy Hirning was standing in her driveway when she saw the semi racing toward the homes.

“He just came through the fence and barreled this way,” she recalled, adding that the truck did not appear to brake before heading down an embankment.

Hirning said watching the massive vehicle tear through the neighborhood felt almost unreal.

“It was like a movie, only you didn’t really want to be at that movie,” she said.

The destruction left Kosick and her husband temporarily displaced, with their insurance company putting them in a hotel.

Their two vehicles were totaled, and the couple believes their house may be a complete loss.

Despite the massive damage, Kosick said she and her husband hope to rebuild on the same property.

For now, they are focusing on the fact that they somehow escaped without serious injuries.

“We’re just thankful we’re not hurt,” Kosick said. “It could have been so much worse.”