A Tebbetts man died and another man was life-flighted after a three-vehicle crash in Moniteau County on Tuesday afternoon.
Joshua Kirchner, 22, of California, was driving westbound on U.S. 50 near Scott Branch Road when at approximately 12:49 p.m. his 2013 Dodge Avenger overtook and struck the rear of a 1998 Ford F150, driven by Jose Perez, 29, of Jefferson City, according to a Missouri Highway Patrol report.
Kirchner then crossed the road and struck nearly head-on a 2004 Ford F150, driven by Steven Smart, 60, of Tebbetts, heading eastbound.
Perez traveled off the right side of the road, overcorrected, crossed the center line and also struck Smart's truck.
A Moniteau County coroner pronounced Smart dead shortly after the crash, according to the report. Smart was wearing a seat belt.
Perez was life-flighted to University Hospital in Columbia for serious injuries. He was wearing a seat belt.
Kirchner and occupant Abigail Heiland, 21, of California, were transported by ambulance to St. Mary's Hospital in Jefferson City for moderate injuries. They were not wearing seat belts.
Perez was arrested about half an hour after the crash for driving while intoxicated and not having a license.
This is the ninth fatality in the Highway Patrol's Troop F for September and the troop's 56th fatality in 2018, according to the report.