Jefferson City Police Department officers responded to two injury accidents Thursday morning.
The first occurred at 8:27 a.m. on southbound Missouri 179 at the ramps to Missouri Boulevard, according to police reports.
A vehicle driven by Shawna Richardson, 29, of Fulton, was traveling northbound on Missouri 179, approaching the intersection in the designated left turn lane, authorities said. According to witnesses, Richardson started making a left turn, failing to yield the right of way to southbound traffic on Missouri 179. Richardson then turned left and went directly into the driver's side of a semitruck, driven by Jason Fenton, 50, of Springfield, which was traveling southbound through the intersection on Missouri 179 in the left lane.
The impact ruptured the fuel tank on the driver's side of semitruck, allowing a "significant amount" of fuel to spill onto the roadway, which had to be shut down to all traffic while members of the Jefferson City Fire Department and Missouri Department of Transportation cleaned up the fuel.
Richardson reported she had a medical episode while operating her car which caused her to lose control and drive into the intersection. She had what officers said was an abrasion from seat belt use and was treated for the injury. Fenton had no reported injuries.
The second accident occurred at 9:38 a.m. in the 1600 block of Jefferson Street, involving a vehicle hitting a pedestrian.
Investigators determined David Pruitt, 19, of Jefferson City, was in the process of changing a flat tire on his vehicle in the 1600 block of westbound U.S. 54. According to a witness, Pruitt was attempting to cross over Jefferson Street toward Big O Tire, located in the 1600 block of Jefferson Street, to borrow some tools.
Pruitt crossed over the guard rail and started crossing Jefferson Street, but he failed to yield to a vehicle driven by Dale Spencer, 76, of Jefferson City, who was going north on Jefferson Street, according to police reports. The front driver's side of Spencer's vehicle struck the left side of Pruitt as he was crossing.
Pruitt was reported to have had multiple fractures and possible internal injuries. He was transported by Cole County EMS to a hospital in Columbia for treatment. Spencer had no reported injuries.