Over 1,500 Missouri Car Crashes in One Weekend-MSHP

Multiple Weekend Car Crash Fatalities

A deadly Friday afternoon head-on collision claimed the lives of four people on Missouri 5, near Orchard Drive just north of Lebanon. The Lebanon Rural Fire District Chief said two people were inside each of the vehicles and there were no survivors.

Subsequent news stories have revealed the tragic story that two of those people were parents on their way to visit their hospitalized son in Columbia who had been involved in a serious head-on car accident earlier that morning on U.S. 54 in Camden County. A witness said the southbound car was speeding, weaving in and out of traffic on the three-lane highway and making bad passes before it hit the northbound car in Laclede County.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the 2012 Suzuki Kizashi crossed the center lane and struck the 2011 Volkswagen Golf head-on. A 36 year-old man of Eldridge, Missouri was driving the Suzuki. He and his passenger, a 35 year-old Eldridge woman were killed. Victims in the Volkswagen included a 38 year-old Springfield, Missouri man and his 37 year-old Lebanon, Missouri female passenger.

Missouri Quickly Becoming Most Deadly State for Driving

The Missouri Highway Patrol has reported that 2016 has been more deadly than 2015 for car crashes as we head into the holiday traffic period. In 2015, there were 870 fatal car accidents and thus far, there have been 909 in 2016. The Christmas counting period begins this Friday, December 23, 2016 at 6 p.m. and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, December 26,2016. In this same counting period last year, there were 1,070 traffic crashes where five people were killed and 363 were injured.

The MSHP reminds drivers to slow down and buckle up this holiday season.

Multiple Fatalities – St. Louis Area and Missouri

Beginning in the afternoon of Friday, the Highway Patrol worked many fatalities across the state of Missouri beginning with a crash around 2:30 p.m. on US 54 Westbound at Auxvasse Creek Bridge in Calloway County. A 30 year-old woman driving a 2001 Dodge Ram ran off the right side of the roadway, struck a concrete grate, returned to the road, ran off the left side then vaulted off an embankment and overturned coming to rest in a creek.

A 13 year-old girl was killed early Friday in Laclede County in southwest Missouri when a tractor trailer lost control on ice on Interstate 44, striking the Jeep driven by her mother.

Additionally, a 72 year-old Pilot Knob man died when his wife lost control of Jeep Cherokee on ice and struck a tree in Iron County

Two fatalities occurred in the greater St. Louis area when a 44 year-old Pevely man was killed in a multi-vehicle crash just south of Stone Ridge court on Highway 61 in Jefferson County. He was a passenger in a Honda Odyssey traveling southbound when the driver lost control around a curve and began to spin out, crashing into an oncoming vehicle traveling northbound. He was ejected from the vehicle. The driver sustained moderate injuries. The four occupants in the first vehicle survived with moderate injuries.

A 5 a.m. Saturday morning, a 24 year-old Carthage man was killed when his vehicle went off the right side of the roadway and overturned down a steep embankment in Jasper County just north of Carthage on Interstate 49.

At 6:30 a.m. a two-vehicle collision resulted in a death of a 56 year-old Granby, Missouri man and the serious injury of a 43 year-old Monett, Missouri man on U.S. 60, 5 miles east of Granby, Missouri in Newton County. According to the patrol, the Granby man was driving a Ford Focus, lost control on an icy road, crossed the center line and struck the Chevy Corvette driven by the Monett, Missouri man. The driver of the Corvette sustained serious injuries and was transported to a Joplin hospital.

Later that evening at 8:45 p.m., a 35 year-old Des Moines, Iowa man was killed when his semi truck traveled off the right side of the roadway and began to slide. It then impacted an embankment and began to overturn. The driver was ejected from the vehicle and the truck came to rest west of southbound Interstate 35 facing northwest, 6 miles north of Pattonburg.

On Sunday, officials identified a 20 year-old Madison County woman that died in a one-vehicle crash near Pontoon Beach on Interstate 255. Reportedly, the Illinois State Police said she was driving south on Interstate 255, hit a slick spot and left the roadway.

Holiday Travel Expectations

At this point, the weather service is predicting that it will be in the 40 degree neighborhood for Sunday, Christmas Day and we may see rain and freezing temperatures. Meteorologists say they will, of course, will be monitoring the weather closely.

If you are injured in a motor vehicle collision, please call our attorneys focused on represented those injured in car collisions.

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