Truck driver pleads not guilty to manslaughter in I-70 crash

A truck driver pleaded not guilty Friday to two counts of second-degree involuntary manslaughter for his involvement in an April 28 crash that killed two people on Interstate 70 near the Lake of the Woods Exit.

Carl West, 61, of Novinger, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on the charges.

It was his first appearance in court after turning himself in to Adair County Sheriff’s deputies on July 10. He spent about six hours in the Adair County Jail before he was released on a $40,000 bond.

An Aug. 25 hearing was scheduled to verify that West, who does not qualify for a public defender, has hired an attorney. A trial date is likely be scheduled at that time.

West sat beside a female companion as he waited to appear before Judge Christine Carpenter in Boone County Circuit Court. He held a hat from Bangert’s, the La Plata-based company that owns BC Trucking, the trucking company he was driving for when the crash occurred.

West refused to comment outside the Boone County Courthouse after his hearing.

An investigation by Columbia police determined that West drove a semitruck into stopped traffic in a construction zone on I-70 in the crash. Cheryl Card, 54, of Lincoln, Neb., and John Ferkel, 40, of St. Peters, died in the crash. Card’s husband, Kirt Card, 56, was seriously injured.

Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Keith Bail pressed charges against West on June 30.

The Columbia police report on the crash determined that West’s negligence caused the crash when he did not brake or take evasive action before he collided with the stopped cars. The report also noted that West has an extensive record of traffic violations dating back to 1976, including following too close and speeding.

Trucker George Albright, 61, of Clarksville, Tenn., faces charges for a similar crash in Callaway County on June 1 in which four related Kansas City women died. His arraignment was set for July 28 in Callaway County.

Albright faces four counts of second-degree manslaughter in the eight-vehicle crash.

Beverly Garrett, 57; Anita Gibbs, 55; Beulah Hunter, 94; and Eloise Jeans, 81, died in the crash. Four others were injured, including Zoe Smith, 53, an MU photojournalism professor.

Albright and eight other de­fend­ants are also listed in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Roy Gibbs, husband of Anita Gibbs, who died in the crash.