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Man charged after wrong-way crash on I-55 caught on video

He was booked on four summonses including reckless driving and driving without the proper license.

ST. LOUIS — A video shows a wrong way crash on Interstate 55 in south St. Louis Monday afternoon.

Viewer Cody Gowler said he was driving on I-55 near Bates Street at around 2 p.m. when he saw a black car driving the wrong way on northbound I-55.

"My heart dropped when it happened, I just wanted to stop but I couldn't," Gowler said.

The video shows the black car on the shoulder near the median passing a few cars going the other way before crashing with a white van.

Police said they received multiple calls about the car and were able to take the driver into custody a short time after the crash. On Tuesday, 42-year-old Joseph Defan was charged with reckless driving, improper lane use, violation of a financial responsibility ordinance and driving without a proper license.

"Yeah I mean that's terrifying and it's something that went through my mind is what if that was me in that car and what if my family was in the car with me. That's devastating but it's making me more hyper-alert when I'm on the road too," added Gowler.

A police spokeswoman provided the following statement about staying safe in the instance of a wrong-way driver:

When driving, it is crucial to be alert to your surroundings, such as traffic patterns ahead of you, the condition of the roads, or any potential hazards. Being alert and following traffic laws should allow drivers enough time to move out of the way of wrong-way drivers.

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