Crash on I-44 kills driver from Mt. Vernon

A man from Mt. Vernon died in a crash on I-44 west of Springfield last night.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified the victim as 36-year-old Stephen Branstetter of Mt. Vernon.

The accident happened in the westbound lanes near mile marker 64.  Traffic was moving slow due to construction in the area.

The patrol says  Branstetter was passing a semi when he hit the trailer in the rear.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The truck driver, 38-year-old Cruz Rincon of Pueblo, Texas, was not injured.