The St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office is personally affected by a fatal crash on Interstate 270 in south county. James Heitman, 32, was confirmed by the Missouri Highway Patrol to have died in the collision. Heitman was reportedly one of the General Felonies Unit’s last remaining prosecutors in Kim Gardner’s office.
At 5:15 p.m., a collision occurred on I-270 south of Tesson Ferry. The Missouri Highway Patrol said that four automobiles were engaged in a chain reaction accident as interstate traffic was stalled.
Hietman, one of the drivers, allegedly failed to see that traffic had stopped in front of him when he changed lanes. The collision was started when Heitman’s vehicle struck the stopped car in front of him. Heitman’s vehicle was among the three that caught fire.
Heitman was transported to a local hospital and later declared dead. Minor injuries were sustained by one of the other drivers.
After the collision, southbound I-270 was shut down for about five hours.
“I’m shocked and saddened to announce that one of our dedicated ACA’s, Mr. James Heitman, died in a car accident last night. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and his CAO family at this tragic time,” Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner said in a statement.
