OREGON COUNTY, Mo. — The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating after a crash near Thayer killed an Arkansas man.

MSHP said 29-year-old Joshua Parker, of Calico Rock, Arkansas, died at the scene of the crash.

The accident happened around 7:00 a.m. on U.S. Highway 63 about two miles north of Thayer.

Courtesy of MSHP Troop G

MSHP Troop G said Parker, driving a 2011 GMC Express van, was stopped in traffic and preparing to make a left turn. A Thayer Police Department SUV rear-ended Parker’s van, sending it into the path of a southbound semi-truck.

The semi hit Parker’s van almost immediately and then caught fire. Troop G believes the fire was caused by fuel from the damaged van.

The semi-trailer hit several trees as it continued into a ravine and burned completely.

The Thayer police officer is listed as having moderate injuries, and the driver of the semi was seriously hurt. Both were taken to a nearby hospital.

This is Troop G’s 31st fatality in 2023.