Two men seriously hurt in crash near Fruitland

Two Cape Girardeau County men were seriously injured in a single-vehicle crash about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on U.S. 61 north of Fruitland.

The driver of a Honda Civic was transported to Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis by AirEvac helicopter. The passenger was taken to Saint Francis Medical Center by ambulance, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike Lynch.

Their ages are 23 and 22, Lynch said.

The driver lost control of the Civic on a curve driving south on U.S. 61 across from the Citizens Electric Corp. complex north of Fruitland and south of Oak Ridge, Lynch said.

The vehicle veered off the road into a field, struck a fence and flipped over, Lynch said.

Neither occupant was wearing a seat belt, and both were thrown from the vehicle, Lynch said.

“The biggest contributor to this was seat belts,” Lynch said. “If they would have had seat belts on, they would not have been ejected.”

Lynch could not say how fast the car was going when the driver lost control without further investigation.

The names of the men were not released because their families had not been notified, Lynch said.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

U.S. 61, Fruitland, Mo.