A 73-year-old Peculiar man was killed in a motor vehicle accident May 2 on southbound I-49, at the 161.8-mile marker.
According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Max B. Herrick was pro- nounced dead at the scene by Jordan Rias of the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Robert D. Herrick, 49, Harrisonville, suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Cass Regional Medical Center, Harrisonville, for treatment, the patrol said.
Kimberlee A. Ratliff, 29, Liberty, suffered minor injuries and sought her own treatment, according to the patrol.
According to the accident report, the accident occurred at about 6:45 p.m.
when Jeffrey J. Bridgman, 57, Odessa, Texas, southbound on I-49 driving a 2020 Kenworth tractor-trailer, veered onto the shoulder of the roadway and struck Max B. Herrick’s 1994 Ford F-150 pickup truck which was stopped on the shoulder of the roadway. The patrol said the trailer portion of Bridgman’s tractor-trailer unit struck Ratliff’s 1998 Toyota RAV 4 which was also stopped on the shoulder.
The patrol said Bridgman’s tractor-trailer unit came to rest off the left side of the roadway after striking the median barrier. The impact pushed Herrick’s vehicle onto the roadway causing it to partially overturn.
Ratliff’s vehicle was pushed into Robert D. Herrick, who was a pedestrian.
The patrol said all three drivers were wearing safety devices at the time the
accident occurred.
The accident was investigated by Tpr. R.J. Hastings and Major Crash Investigation Unit Team No. 1 with Sgt. H.A. Sears. Assisting with the investigation were Cpl. B.J. Hamerle, Cpl. T.G. Sims, Tpr. Z.D. Davidson, Tpr. D.W. Schubert, the Harrisonville Police Department and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.
