About twice as many people were killed on Missouri’s roads and highways this weekend as opposed to a non-holiday weekend, according to the Highway Patrol.
Highway Patrol Captain Tim Hull says nine people were killed in traffic accidents over the three-day weekend. (He says during the average nice summer weekend, the patrol investigates an average of four or five deaths.)Of the fatalities, one victim was riding a motorcycle, one was on an ATV.
Highway Patrol Captain Tim Hull says nine people died in traffic crashes over the 2009 Memorial Day weekend also.
The Patrol investigated 270 traffic crashes resulting in 133 injuries. Patrol officers arrested 157 drivers for being intoxicated.
Of the nine fatalities, the Patrol investigated seven. The Ozark Police Department and St. Louis City Police Department each investigated one fatality.
Of the seven fatalities investigated by the Patrol, two fatalities occurred in the Troop B, Macon, area; and one fatality occurred in each of the following areas: Troop A, Lee’s Summit; Troop D, Springfield; Troop E, Poplar Bluff; Troop F, Jefferson City; and Troop I, Rolla.
There was one fatality during the counting period on Friday, May 28, 2010.
Kevin L. Leech, 38, of Ft. Leonard Wood died when the ATV he was driving traveled off the left side of the roadway and struck two trees. Leech was ejected from the ATV. The crash occurred in Phelps County, on Ticket Road, five miles east of Ft. Leonard Wood. Dr. Lowell D. Barrowes pronounced Leech dead at Ft. Leonard Wood Hospital.
Three fatalities occurred on Saturday.
Justin C. Black, 24, of Hermann died when he lost control of the vehicle he was driving. Black was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash. The vehicle traveled off the right side of the road, became airborne, then overturned. The crash occurred in Montgomery County, on Missouri Highway 19, north of Missouri Highway 94. Montgomery County Coroner Dave Colbert pronounced Black dead at the scene. A passenger in the vehicle sustained serious injuries. Black was not wearing a seat belt. It is unknown whether or not the passenger was wearing a seat belt.
Douglas R. Goodwin, 48, of Kirksville died when the vehicle he was driving traveled off the left side of the roadway, struck a road sign, then continued across a parking lot before going airborne and into the lake. The crash occurred in Adair County, at Thousand Hills State Park. Goodwin was pulled from the vehicle by a park ranger before the vehicle became submerged. Dr. Myrah Watson pronounced Goodwin dead at North East Regional Medical Center. Goodwin was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The Adair County Sheriff’s Department, Kirksville Police Department, Missouri State Water Patrol, Missouri State Park Rangers, and Kirksville Fire Department also responded to the scene.
Grover L. Milam, 62, of Kirbyville died when a vehicle struck the motorcycle he was riding headon. The vehicle initially ran off the roadway, hit a mailbox, slid back onto the road, and then crossed the centerline before striking Milam’s motorycle. Both Milam and the driver of the other vehicle, Jodi M. Ebersol, 36, of Forsyth, MO, were ejected. After Ebersol was ejected, her vehicle struck a tree and overturned. The crash occurred in Taney County, on Missouri Highway 76, south of Forsyth. Taney County Deputy Coroner Neil Mabry pronounced Grover dead at the scene. Ebersol sustained serious injuries; she was not wearing a seat belt.
One fatality occurred on Sunday.
Daniel M. Wyrick, 36, of Coweta, Okla., died when the vehicle he was driving ran off the left side of the roadway, struck a culvert, and overturned. The crash occurred in Ripley County, on Missouri Highway 142, at Oxly. Dr. Choudhary pronounced Wyrick dead at Ripley County Memorial Hospital. Wyrick was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
Three fatalities occurred on Memorial Day, Monday.
Barbara J. White, 76, of Richmond died when the vehicle she was driving traveled off the right side of the roadway onto a gravel shoulder. White overcorrected, causing the vehicle to cross the center line, travel off the left side of the roadway, and overturn. The vehicle came to rest on its wheels in the roadway. White was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. The crash occurred in Ray County, on Missouri Highway 13, south of 220th Street. Ray County Coroner Jim Garrison pronounced White dead at the scene of the crash.
Robert B. Lee, 39, of Millard died when the vehicle he was driving crossed the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 63, ran off the roadway, struck a sign, and came to rest in the median. Lee may have suffered from cardiac arrest just prior to the crash, which occurred in Adair County, on U.S. Highway 63 at Missouri Route KK, south of Kirksville. Dr. Elam pronounced Lee dead at Northeast Regional Medical Center. Lee was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Three passengers in Lee’s vehicle were not injured in the crash; all three were wearing their seat belts.
Joshua W. Bridges, 21, of Fair Grove died when the vehicle in which he was a passenger made a left turn in front of another vehicle. The crash occurred in Christian County on U.S. Highway 65 business route and 17th Street. Neither of the two drivers was injured. It is unknown whether or not Bridges was wearing a seat belt. The Ozark Police Department investigated the crash.
The remaining fatality was investigated by the St. Louis City Police Department. The crash occurred on Interstate 44 at Vandeventer. No further details were available at press time.
