The incident occurred on Interstate 64 in West St. Louis County on Thursday, April 23
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NEED TO KNOW
- Ray Hartmann was killed in a vehicle collision in West St. Louis County on Thursday, April 23
- Hartmann, 73, was a prominent figure in St. Louis media, having founded the Riverfront Times and revived St. Louis Magazine, before retiring in 2024
- Hartmann is survived by his wife, Kerri, and two children, Ben and Brielle
A man died in a freak accident while traveling in West St. Louis County.
At around 2 p.m. local time on Thursday, April 23, two tires fell from a Volvo VNL and struck the roof of a 73-year-old male driver’s Chevrolet Bolt on Interstate 64 in west St. Louis County, the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) said in a crash report.
According to the report, the Volvo VNL “lost two left-side road unit tires,” which became “airborne” and “traveled through the roof” of the Chevrolet Bolt, striking the driver. West County EMS and Fire transported him to Mercy Hospital St. Louis, where he was pronounced dead at 2:05 p.m.
The victim was identified as Ray Hartman, a journalist and former Missouri Congressional candidate, by longtime friend and attorney Andy Leonard in a statement to Fox 2.
“We’d like to thank the police officers who came to the scene and the doctors and staff at Mercy Hospital who were informative and kind,” he told the outlet.
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The driver of the Volvo VNL, a 64-year-old man, remained at the scene, 5 On Your Side reported. He has not been identified publicly at this time.
PEOPLE has contacted the MSHP and Leonard for further comment.
Hartman founded Riverfront Times (RFT) in 1977 and, 10 years later, co-founded the debate program Donnybrook on Nine PBS, where he remained for several decades. In 1998, he revived St. Louis Magazine (SLM) and sold the RFT to Phoenix’s New Times, according to SLM.
The West County-born journalist returned to RFT in 2018, working as a freelance columnist. He retired from journalism in 2024, per SLM.
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Nine PBS said in a statement, “The entire team at Nine PBS, along with past and present Donnybrookers, are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the sudden passing of Ray Hartmann. Ray was a cornerstone of St. Louis journalism and a foundational voice of Donnybrook, but most of all, he was our beloved friend.”
“For nearly four decades, Ray was at the Donnybrook roundtable, rarely missing a week, delighting viewers with quick-witted and highly opinionated conversations about issues shaping our region,” the outlet continued. “…Nine PBS extends our deepest condolences to Ray's family, friends, colleagues … [his] impact on our region and our work will stay with us always.”
Hartmann is survived by his wife, Kerri, and two children, Ben and Brielle, per Fox 2.
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