A St. Charles man is being charged with setting off a chain reaction of collisions that resulted in the death of St. Louis Alderman Greg Carter last summer.

The Missouri Highway Patrol arrested the St. Charles man for DWI after the fatal truck accident that reportedly began when the man’s pick-up truck rear-ended an 18-wheeler on Highway 370 last August.

After that initial crash, the driver of the tractor-trailer got out to assess damage to his vehicle. A driver of a Fed Ex tractor-trailer stopped along the highway to help the first trucker, and then another 18-wheeler came to a stop at the crash site.

Investigators say that’s when Alderman Carter happened upon the stopped vehicles as he was driving a UPS truck. The 27th ward representative was killed when his truck slammed into the second stopped semi.

The alderman had worked for UPS for 25 years. He planned to retire from the company after putting a daughter through college.

One of the alderman’s colleagues said he was “universally liked” by people at City Hall.

These days, he is universally missed by his family, friends and co-workers.

The 26-year-old who police say is responsible for the crashes is accused of driving while intoxicated. He was also charged with careless and imprudent operation of a vehicle as he was headed east on 370 in St. Charles County.

The charges the man faces are misdemeanors, KSDK reports.

The late alderman’s family has filed a wrongful death suit against defendants including the 26-year-old and two trucking firms.

Source: KSDK, “St. Charles man charged in crash that led to death of Alderman Greg Carter,” May 28, 2013