Driver says he looked down for his drink moments before pushing Prius off overpass

One woman is dead and a truck driver is in custody after a fatal distracted driving crash in St. Louis on Wednesday. 

The accident happened on January 15th at around 6:10 a.m. on Interstate 44 near the Vandeventer Avenue exit in south St. Louis, Missouri. 

According to KSDK News, a 34-year-old woman in a Prius was driving east on I-44 when a tractor trailer struck her from behind, pushing her car off of the overpass and onto Vandeventer Avenue below. The semi truck then jackknifed and came to a rest partially hanging off of the overpass. 

The woman was then transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition where she later died. The truck driver was not hurt. During the investigation, the driver told police that he had looked down to grab his drink as he was driving. When he looked up, he saw the Prius but was unable to stop in time, causing the crash. 

The driver was taken into custody and submitted to a blood draw for further investigation of the incident. It is currently not clear if the Prius had broken down, or if the roads were icy at the time of the wreck. 

The 34-year-old woman has still not been identified. The truck driver is cooperating with police.