MORGAN COUNTY, Mo. — A Gravois Mills man was hospitalized Saturday night after his truck crashed into a utility pole and caught fire. The Gravois Fire Protection District responded to an emergency 911 call of the vehicle on fire at 11:09 p.m. to Route P at White Oak Road in Gravois Mills.
According to Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Barbour, Jeffrey A. Hibdon, 43, Gravois Mills was traveling eastbound on Route P in a 1986 Chevrolet C-10 when the vehicle ran off the left side of the roadway and struck a utility pole. According to GFPD Fire Chief Ed Hancock, the truck was high-centered and Hibdon attempted to free it.
On arrival, GFPD firefighters found the vehicle on fire. “We are not sure what the cause of the fire was, whether from the accident or trying to get it from being high centered,” Chief Hancock said. Firefighters extinguished the fire.
The MSHP report states Hibdon was not wearing a seatbelt, he received moderate injuries and was transported by private conveyance to Lake Regional Hospital.
Hibdon struck a utility pole, snapping it in two, causing electrical outages in the area. Co Mo Electric Cooperative already had multiple line crews dispatched due to a storm in the area. GFPD firefighters stood by while Co Mo Electric Cooperative crews reset the utility pole and restored power.
Gravois Fire responded with four units and five personnel. The Morgan County Sheriff’s Department was also on the scene.
According to the MSHP, the truck was totaled and towed by Whan’s Towing.
