A 3-year-old boy was in critical condition Thursday evening at a Columbia hospital after he was hurt in a two-vehicle accident northeast of Russellville. The driver of the car was killed, the Missouri Highway Patrol reported.
Troopers said Demyris Z. Oliver, 3, Russellville, was flown by Life Flight helicopter to the University of Missouri Women's and Children's Hospital.
Officers said the boy was in a safety device while riding in Jeremiah J. Kempker's 1994 Chevrolet Caprice, as it was eastbound on Branch Road at 8:05 a.m. Thursday.
About two-tenths of a mile east of Branch Road's T-intersection with St. Michael's Road - north of Route C - Kempker's car ran into the back of a 2012 Freightliner trailer, disabled and parked in the eastbound lane of the two-lane road.
Witnesses told the patrol that Kempker, 30, Henley, came over a hill and apparently swerved but could not avoid the collision.
He was pronounced dead about an hour later at Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City.
Authorities said he was not using his seat belt.
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