Dump truck driver who crashed died of cardiac arrest, police say

A dump truck overturned in Cape Girardeau County Tuesday morning when the driver suffered a cardiac episode behind the wheel, deputies said.

The driver was hauling a load of gravel near the intersection of county roads 337 and 340 when the crash occurred some time before noon, said Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop E spokesperson Sgt. Clark Parrott Tuesday.

"The dump truck overturned because the driver had a heart attack," Parrott said. "Since he had a medical condition, that is not considered a fatal traffic crash."

No other vehicles were involved in the crash, Parrott said, and there was no other property damage past the dump truck and loss of gravel.

The driver was transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, Parrott said.

Parrott declined to say whether the driver was working for a company at the time of the crash, citing the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Parrott declined to identify the driver.

"At this time, no," he said. "Because of it being a medical condition, it falls under the Drivers Privacy Protection Act."

tgraef@semissourian.com

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