ST. LOUIS (KMOV/Gray News) - A fiery crash on a Missouri interstate left one person dead. One woman who witnessed the accident jumped into action, as her husband’s car went up in flames right in front of her.
Malissa Travis Crews was driving behind her husband, Jeremy, at 4:20 a.m. Sunday on Interstate 70 when his car crashed into a car stopped without lights. She had seconds to brake, hitting his car, KMOV reports.
“My husband hit the car, and flames just flew. I screamed his name because I was behind him, watching everything,” Crews said. “I remember the jerking feeling, and instantly, I knew I had to get out of the truck to get to my husband.”
Crews says she ran to the car, where her brother-in-law was in the passenger seat. She helped get him out then worked to get her husband out of the driver’s seat, all while the flames spread. The car’s engine caught fire.
“I said, ‘Come on, baby. You gotta get out of this truck. It’s on fire.’ The first thing he says is ‘I’m gone.’ He thought he was dead. I said, ‘No, you’re OK. You gotta get out of this truck,’” Crews said.
Video from another driver shows the intensity of the flames, and you can hear things popping and exploding. The fire ultimately engulfed all three cars involved in the crash.
“I got him like a potato sack. I’m trying to pull him back and get as far back as I can to get away from this fire,” Crews said.
EMS arrived, and there were others who stopped to help. Crews says her husband and his brother have several broken ribs and other bones, but they’re alive.
“I’m just glad I’m not a widow after being married for a year and a half,” she said.
St. Louis City Police are investigating the crash. They have not released details on why the first car stopped on the interstate. The driver in that vehicle died on the scene.