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UPDATE: Five people are dead following a single-vehicle accident on I-70 near Vandalia, IL.

The Vandalia Leader-Union reports the fatalities. Police say a van drove off the highway and flipped over. There were at least 14 passengers on board. Some of the people sustained serious injuries and are on their way to St. Louis hospitals.

Emergency crews have closed eastbound 70 near the accident.

   St. Louis police say a bizarre case of road rage left a 43 year old man dead.  

   It began around noon yesterday, when a box truck apparently cut off a Lincoln Navigator on westbound Inerstate 70.  

   Police say the SUV followed the truck to the Union Blvd. exit, ramming the box truck several times.  At the light at Margaretta and Union, the driver of the SUV got out of his vehicle and began hitting the truck with a hammer, striking the driver before jumping onto the truck's hood.  When the truck turned onto Margaretta, the attacking man fell off and was injured.  

   The man was taken to a hospital, where he later died.  Police have not yet released his identity.

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) - A St. Louis man is accused of intentionally causing a pre-dawn wreck during a two-vehicle southwestern Illinois chase that ended with a teenager dead.

Prosecutors in St. Clair County charged 27-year-old Donald Friese with first-degree murder in the April 29 death of 18-year-old Mercedes Ferrarie-Troisi of Caseyville.

Illinois State Police have said Friese was driving one of two vehicles involved in a chase with each other. Police say both cars went out of control at a curve in Fairmont City and flipped. Ferrarie-Troisi was ejected and died at the scene. Police said Friese fled the scene.

As of Wednesday afternoon Friese was in custody in Jennings, Mo., on unrelated federal charges.

Bail on the murder count is set at $1 million.

It's not immediately clear if Friese has an attorney.

An accident has closed all lanes of EB I-270 at the Chair of Rocks bridge this afternoon.

A listener called in to say the accident involves at least three vehicles, including a semi-truck. Traffic is being directed onto Riverview drive to detour around the accident.

No word on any injuries from the accident.

Police have identified the man who died after an incident at a manufacturing plant in Florissant.

An employee at St. Louis Cold Drawn Inc on Pershall Rd found the victim lying on the ground near an electrical box. The man, identified as Mach Nguyen was taken to the hospital where he died.

This is being investigated as an accidental death and a cause of death will be released after an autopsy.

An accident has the intersection of Brentwood and Maryland in downtown Clayton shutdown.

It appears that a teenage driver ran a red light and was t-boned by a Mercedes. The teen's SUV flipped over and several bystanders pulled the boy from the car.

KTRS News spoke to one man who was involved in accident and he shared his thoughts as he saw the accident unfold. "You know people say it's all in slow motion. What was running through my head, was I was actually trying to put my car in reverse", he said. "I was just about managed to do it when he hit me."

No word on any injuries as a result of that accident, but police are on the scene and directing traffic away from the intersection.

   HONOLULU (AP) — A small helicopter lost power and came crashing down on a busy downtown Honolulu street Wednesday afternoon, but no one was seriously injured, authorities said.

   "It's a pretty miraculous situation that no one was badly hurt by this," said Capt. Terry Seelig, a spokesman for the Honolulu Fire Department. "This is a pretty busy area."

   The helicopter was on a photography flight when it lost power, forcing a crash landing on Fort Street, which is home to a large apartment complex and Hawaii Pacific University. The area is usually full of university students and downtown office workers, and has a lot of vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

   The chopper ended up along a curb, badly damaging a parked car, Seelig said. A fire station is also on that street, so firefighters who heard the crash ran out to help.

   The pilot, Julia Link, told KITV everything seemed normal until all of the sudden it got quiet and the engine quit. Repeatedly training for this type of scenario helped her bring the helicopter to the ground, she said.

   "First I thought it was a joke and then, I was like 'Oh my God, this is for real," said the 30-year-old.

   She was grateful the problems developed when the aircraft — which she said was brand new — was 3,000 feet above ground as that gave her a lot of time to plan their descent.

   Link said she's glad everyone walked away alive and no one was seriously hurt.

   The 71 year old male passenger was treated at the scene for minor injuries to his head, Honolulu Emergency Services spokeswoman Shayne Enright said.

   The chopper was operated by Mauna Loa Helicopters. Representatives of the company couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

   Preliminary information indicates the Robinson R22 Beta had an engine failure, said Allen Kenitzer, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The search continues for a driver who hit a man then left the scene.

Police say the accident happened at the Park Meadows Apartments near Woods Mill and Manchester just after midnight today. The victim remains in the hospital with unknown injuries.

Police have not released any description of the suspect's car.

The South Roxana, Illinois man who admitted to hitting and killing a motorcyclist two years ago, will head to prison.

Lloyd Denny told prosecutors he was talking on his phone and taking prescription medications when he rear ended the motorcycle and killed Bradley Umphlett in Alton. KSDK reports that just days before his sentencing, Denny's bond was revoked for possession of heroin.

Denny will spend three years behind bars.

Three children are in the hospital after a car accident in north St. Louis Wednesday morning.

Police say two vehicles collided at the intersection of Goodfellow and Wells. One of the cars flipped over and two people were trapped inside.

Everyone was freed from the overturned car and the kids, along with two adults, were taken to the hospital. Their conditions are not known at this time.