JEFFERSON COUNTY — Randy Rulo and his wife, Laura, knew they wanted a big family as soon as they met. They went on to have five stairstep kids, and their sixth, a boy, is due next month.

For the past several years, it seemed like wherever Rulo was, there was sure to be a baby in his arms.

“He loved being around them,” said James Blum, Rulo’s brother-in-law.

Rulo was driving a ready-mix truck on Saturday, headed south on Interstate 55 near Pevely when his Freightliner left the roadway about 8:45 a.m., according to the Missouri Highway Patrol. He overcorrected, officials said, and the truck flipped, ejecting him.

Rulo, 37, was killed in the crash.

The stretch of I-55 north of Route Z has been under construction, with the lanes narrowed. The highway was closed for more than two hours f

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