Rush Hour Traffic Causes Crash at I-44 and Lindbergh

A Maryland Heights man and two Valley Park residents were injured in a three-car accident on Interstate 44 near Lindbergh Boulevard last week, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report. The cause of the accident was failure to slow fast enough for stopped traffic.

51-year-old Mark Doetzel, of Maryland Heights, was traveling westbound on I-44 on Aug. 13 around 4:56 p.m. followed by two other vehicles. Doetzel and the driver behind him, 29-year-old Eric Reuther of Maryland Heights, stopped due to traffic ahead. The third vehicle, driven by 54-year-old Gary Whitteaker, of Valley Park, struck the back end of Reuther’s car when he failed to stop.

One passenger—71-year-old Julia Whitteaker—was taken to Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur with moderate injuries. She was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the report. Doetzel and Gary Whitteaker sustained minor injuries and were also transported to Mercy.