The Highway Patrol reports seven people were killed on Missouri roads over the Labor Day weekend. That’s even with last year, when seven people died in car accidents over the holiday. Two of the highway fatalities were motorcyclists.
Troopers investigated 248 crashes … 112 people suffered injuries, that number is down from last year. The Patrol reports arresting 119 people for drunk driving, which is also down from 147 last year.  In 2012, troopers investigated 201 crashes, which included 144 injuries and four of the seven fatalities.
Good news on the waterways though were no boating fatalities or drownings have been reported. The Water Patrol did investigate nine boating crashes, injuring seven, and arrested 14 people for boating while intoxicated. During the 2012 Labor Day weekend, officers investigated three boating crashes, which included one injury and no fatalities. One person drowned and seven people were arrested for boating while intoxicated during last year’s Labor Day weekend.
The 2013 counting period ran from 6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 30, through 11:59 p.m., Monday, Sept. 2.
Of the five traffic crash fatalities troopers investigated, three occurred in the Troop D, Springfield area, and one each occurred in the Troop C, Weldon Spring area, and the Troop F, Jefferson City.
There were no fatalities on Friday, Aug. 30, 2013, during the counting period.
Three fatalities occurred on Saturday, Aug. 31. Justin M. Rohe, 25, of St. Charles died when he failed to stop at a red signal and struck the rear passenger side of a vehicle making a left turn. Rohe was ejected from the motorcycle he was driving. The crash occurred at the intersection of Mid Rivers Mall Drive and Ohmes Road in St. Charles County. St. Charles County emergency medical services pronounced Rohe dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured in the crash.
Dalton W. Coe, 15, of Seneca died when the vehicle in which he was a passenger crossed the centerline and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle then left the roadway, overturned, and struck a tree. Newton County Deputy Coroner Brian Artherton pronounced Coe dead at the scene. The driver and another passenger sustained moderate injuries. All three of the vehicle’s occupants were wearing seat belts. The crash occurred on Gum Road south of Joplin, in Newton County.
The St. Louis Police Department is investigating the remaining fatality on Aug. 31 — no further details are available.
One person died on Sunday, Sept. 1. Brandan A. Evans, 18, of Bronaugh died when the vehicle he was driving traveled off the left side of the roadway, overturned several times, and came to rest on its tires. Evans was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected from the vehicle. Dr. Tiffany Batiste, Freeman West Hospital, Joplin, pronounced Evans dead at the hospital. The crash occurred on Missouri Route BB, one mile south of Nevada, Vernon County. The Vernon County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the scene.
Three fatalities occurred on the Labor Day holiday, Monday, Sept. 2. Beth W. Adamson, 50, of Wichita, Kan., died when the driver of the vehicle in which she was a passenger failed to stop at a stop sign. The Adamson vehicle was then struck broadside. Dr. Buchele, Freeman West Hospital in Joplin, pronounced Adamson dead at the hospital. Both the driver and Adamson were wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash; the driver sustained minor injuries. The driver of the other vehicle sustained serious injuries; he was not wearing a seat belt. The crash occurred 10 miles north of Joplin on Missouri Highway 43 in Jasper County.
Melissa K. Crossland, 45, of Richland died when the driver of the vehicle in which she was a passenger failed to negotiate a curve. The vehicle then traveled off the right side of the road, struck a tree, and overturned. Neither the driver nor Crossland were wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Camden County Medical Examiner Jaimie Wheat pronounced Crossland dead at the scene. The driver sustained serious injuries. The crash occurred in Camden County on Missouri Route A east of Seven Springs Road.
The Ste. Genevieve Police Department is investigating the remaining fatality for Monday, Sept. 2. No further details are available.
The patrol says the fatality statistics reported today could change if late deaths occur, if other departments report fatal traffic/boating crashes after the numbers were released, or if a fatality is determined to be caused by a medical condition rather than traffic/boating incident.
