PHELPS COUNTY, MISSOURI — A 25-year-old Lebanon man suspected of DWI was critically injured early Friday, October 30, after his Ford Focus, traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of Interstate 44, struck an oncoming tractor-trailer. The truck driver was also hurt.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the crash happened around 1:06 a.m. at the 187.4-mile marker. A 2026 International tractor-trailer was traveling westbound when the Ford, driven by James R. Miller, struck it.
Miller was airlifted to University Hospital in Columbia with critical injuries. The truck driver, a 55-year-old man from Wisconsin, was taken to Phelps Health for treatment. Both men were wearing seat belts.
Online arrest reports show Miller is suspected of aggravated DWI and second-degree assault in connection with the crash.
The Highway Patrol was assisted by the Rolla Police Department and the Phelps County Sheriff’s Department.
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