Missouri House Speaker Todd Richardson (R-Poplar Bluff) says State Rep. Bill Lant (R-Pineville) is hospitalized after a car accident Monday morning on I-49 in southwest Missouri’s McDonald County.

Representative Bill Lant (R-Joplin) Photo courtesy:  Missouri House Communications.

Representative Bill Lant (R-Pineville) Photo courtesy: Missouri House Communications.

Speaker Richardson has e-mailed House members and their staffs, asking them to pray for Lant and his family. The Highway Patrol’s report says Lant was transported to Freeman West Hospital in Joplin with moderate injuries.

The Patrol says the crash happened at about 9:15 a.m. near Goodman. The crash report says Lant’s vehicle went off the roadway and struck a road sign support.

The 69-year-old Lant chairs the Joint Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect. Tuesday’s Committee meeting has been cancelled because of the crash. Committee members were scheduled to hold a roundtable discussion on the role of the guardian ad litem in abuse and neglect proceedings.

Lant also chairs the House Workforce Standards and Development Committee. He represents Newton and McDonald counties in the House.