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Car crashes claim eight during Thanksgiving holiday weekend

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Seven people have been killed in highway crashes over the Thanksgiving holiday. Three of them died Saturday, Nov. 30, when the driver crossed the center line on West Hawken Cemetery Road in Miller County, striking another vehicle head on. The driver and two passengers were pronounced dead at the scene.

Another head-on collision claimed the life of a Hartville man on Highway 38 when he passed another car with his motorcycle and rode into the path of an oncoming car. That crash happened in Wright County Friday, Nov. 29.

Two people from Boone county were also killed Friday, Nov. 29, in a head-on crash north of Old Missouri 124, again when their vehicle crossed the center line and struck an oncoming car.

Thursday, on Thanksgiving, a St. Robert woman was killed in single-car accident in Pulaski County. The Highway Patrol reports she drove off the left side of Highway 28, struck a utility pole, overturned and then struck a second utility pole.

Wilson Brown Jr., 38, of St. Louis County, died in a traffic crash at Page and Pendleton streets in St. Louis. The St. Louis Police Department investigated the traffic crash.

Four of the six fatalities in motor vehicles were not wearing a seatbelt.

Fatal crashes over the holiday weekend are up slightly from last year, when six people died on Missouri roads over the Thanksgiving holiday counting period.

 

The victims:

  • Ashley Burns, 29, of Linn Creek was killed Nov. 30 in Miller County, 42.3 miles west of of Hawken Cemetery Road. Troop F reports Burns was traveling eastbound on Missouri 42 in a Ford Escape, when she crossed the center line and struck a Chevrolet Blazer head-on. The driver of the Blazer, Kenneth Crockett, 51, and his passenger, Tammy Luttrell, 55, of Iberia, were also killed in that crash. All three were pronounced dead at the scene by Miller County Coroner Rick Callahan. None of them were wearing a seatbelt. The collision happened about 6:15 p.m.
  • Joseph Mayo, 57, of Hartville was killed when he attempted to pass a vehicle on his Harley Davidson and rode into the path of an oncoming Ford truck. Highway Patrol Troop G reports the crash happened 38 miles east of Hartville. Mayo was flown to Mercy Hospital in Springfield where he died. Mayo was wearing a helmet. The crash happened at 12:38 p.m.
  • Another head-on collision in Boone County claimed the lives of the driver of one car and a passenger in another. Richard Vanboening, 21, of Mexico was driving a Dodge Avenger around 7 a.m. just north of Hallsville when he crossed the center line, hitting a Chevrolet S-10 driven by Timmy Bowne, 46, of Centralia, head-on. Bowne, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene by Boone County Medical Examiner Dori Burke. Vanboening’s passenger, Victoria Singleton, 22, of Mexico, was also pronounced dead at the scene. Vanboening was taken to University Hospital in serious condition. He has since been upgraded to fair condition.
  • Angela Tate, 52, of St. Robert was killed in a single-car accident. Troop I in Pulaski County says Tate’s Ford Explorer drove off the left side of the road and struck a utility pole, rolled onto the driver’s side and struck a second utility pole. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Pulaski County Coroner Mike Hartness. The accident happened at 6:15 a.m.
  • Wilson Brown Jr., 38, of St. Louis County, died in a traffic crash at Page and Pendleton streets in St. Louis. The St. Louis Police Department investigated the traffic crash. Police say Brown was the passenger of an SUV that lost control Saturday afternoon, Nov. 30, hit another car and overturned. The driver of the wrecked car fled the scene of the accident. A 51-year-old man, also a passenger, was taken to the hospital, and the driver was found at a hospital with unspecified injuries. The others were apparently not hospitalized.

Seventeen road fatalities, three drownings over July 4 weekend

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The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports 17 people died in traffic crashes during the 2013 July Fourth holiday counting period. The counting period began at 6 p.m., Wednesday, July 3, and ended at 11:59 p.m., Sunday, July 8.

State troopers worked 358 traffic crashes in which 13 people died and 157 were injured. The Columbia Police Department worked one fatality crash; St. Louis City Police Department worked a triple fatality crash. Troopers arrested 199 people for driving while intoxicated during this year’s 102-hour holiday counting period.

Those numbers are way up from last year, when troopers worked 99 traffic crashes in which three people died and 45 were injured. Troopers arrested 59 people for driving while intoxicated last year. Statewide, in 2012, there were 385 traffic crashes, in which four people died and 194 were injured.

The Patrol points out that numbers were likely to be higher this year since the counting period was more than three times longer. This year’s counting period and enforcement efforts stretched over four days since July 4 fell on a Thursday.

No fatalities occurred on Wednesday, July 3. Seven fatalities occurred on Thursday, July 4.

  • Timothy R. Panzar, 25, of St. Robert, died when the all-terrain vehicle he was driving traveled off the right side of the roadway, became airborne, struck a tree, and overturned. The ATV then came to rest in the Big Piney River. Panzar and a passenger were ejected into the river. Pulaski County Coroner Mikel Hartness pronounced Panzar dead. The passenger sustained serious injuries. The crash occurred in Pulaski County on Hartford Road north of Missouri Highway 28.
  • Kathleen M. Gentner, 72, of Macon, died when she attempted to drive her vehicle across U.S. Highway 36 and was struck in the driver’s side door by an eastbound vehicle. It is unknown whether or not Gentner was wearing a seat belt. Macon County Coroner Brian Hayes pronounced Gentner dead at the scene. The driver and two passengers in the second vehicle sustained minor or moderate injuries. The crash occurred in Macon County on U.S. Highway 36 at Kellogg Avenue.
  • Jason A. Rittermeyer, 32, of Archie, died when he lost control of the vehicle he was driving after the vehicle traveled off the right edge of the roadway. The vehicle returned to the roadway, skidded sideways across the highway, and was struck in the passenger door. Both vehicles came to rest off the south side of the roadway. Rittermeyer was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. In addition to Jason Rittermeyer, Noah Rittermeyer, 10, Sage Rittermeyer, 9, Anna Rittermeyer, 8, all of Archie, and Aleah M. Lucas, 22, of Olathe, Kansas, also died in the crash. Noah was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Sage was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. Lucas was not wearing a seat belt; she was ejected from the vehicle. It is unknown whether or not Anna was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Jackson County Medical Examiner pronounced all fatalities deceased. The driver of the second vehicle sustained minor injuries; he was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The crash occurred in Cass County on Missouri Route B at Cantrell Road.

Two people died in traffic crashes on Friday, July 5, 2013.

  • Tracy L. Adams, 45, of Wright City, died when the vehicle she was driving traveled off the right side of the roadway, she overcorrected the vehicle, returned to the roadway and began to rotate counterclockwise. The vehicle then slid off the road, struck a shallow ditch, and overturned. Adams was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash; she was partially ejected and came to rest under the vehicle. Warren County Coroner Roger Mauzy pronounced Adams deceased. The crash occurred in Warren County on Westwoods Road east of North Strack Church Road.
  • Elizabeth Baylark, 79, of St. Louis, died after she suffered a medical condition and lost control of the vehicle she was driving. Her vehicle then traveled off the roadway and struck a pedestrian at a bus stop bench. Baylark was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Dr. Fulkert at DePaul Hospital pronounced Baylark dead. The pedestrian suffered moderate injuries in the crash. The crash occurred in St. Louis County on Missouri Highway 180 east of McKelvey Road.

Six people died in traffic crashes on Saturday, July 6, 2013.

  • Brenda L. Richards, 44, of Washington, died when the vehicle she was driving ran off the right side of the roadway, she overcorrected causing the vehicle to travel across the roadway and into the median where it overturned. Richards was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. Deputy Coroner Woodward pronounced Richards dead at the scene. The crash occurred in Jasper County on Interstate 44, four miles east of Carthage.
  • Brandon M. Blankenship, 24, of St. Charles, died when the vehicle in which he was a passenger failed to negotiate a curve to the left, traveled off the right side of the roadway, overturned several times, and struck several trees. The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed at the time of the crash. Blankenship was not wearing a seatbelt. Deputy Coroner Steve Hatfield pronounced Blankenship dead. The driver of the vehicle sustained serious injuries in the crash; she was wearing a seat belt. The crash occurred in Washington County on Missouri Highway 21 at Missouri Route C.
  • Joseph B. Stamey, 26, of Belton, died when the all-terrain vehicle he was driving skidded off the roadway and struck a tree. Stamey was ejected. Both the vehicle and Stamey came to rest in the roadway. Ozark County Coroner Shane Ledbetter pronounced Stamey dead. The crash occurred in Ozark County on County Road 529 west of Missouri Route J.
  • Lydell Templeton, 43, of St. Louis, died when he lost control of the vehicle he was driving. The vehicle then collided with the median and overturned several times before catching fire. In addition to Lydell Templeton, Michael J. Helm, 20, of St. Louis, and Tyrone Cain II, 40, address unknown, died in the crash. Two additional passengers sustained serious injuries. Seatbelt information is unknown. Four of the five occupants were ejected from the vehicle. The crash occurred in St. Louis County near the Highway 40/Interstate 64 interchange at Kingshighway. St. Louis City Police Department investigated the crash.

Two people died on Sunday, July 7, 2013.

  • Michael S. Mann, 40, of High Ridge, died when the motorcycle he was driving failed to negotiate a curve. The vehicle began to skid and struck a second vehicle. Dr. Olsen at St. Anthony’s Hospital pronounced Mann dead. The driver of the vehicle that struck Mann’s motorcycle was not injured in the crash. The crash occurred in Jefferson County on High Ridge Boulevard east of Antire Road.
  • Brandon E. Bainter, 29, of Quincy, Ill., died when he lost control of the motorcycle he was driving and collided with a utility pole. Bainter was ejected. The crash occurred in Boone County at the intersection of West Broadway Street and Westwood Avenue in Columbia. The Columbia Police Department investigated the crash.

Three people drowned on Missouri waterways. Two people drowned on July 4, at Smithville Lake in Clinton County.

  • The body of John S. Butts, 55, of Smithville, was recovered on July 5, 2013 near Smithville Lake Access 14. The body was taken to Frontier Forensic in Kansas City; the investigation continues.
  • The body of Gregory E. Weese, age unknown, of Plattsburg, was recovered on July 5, 2013, near the Smithville Lake Access 14. His body was also taken to Frontier Forensic in Kansas City.

One person drowned on Friday, July 5.

  • The incident occurred in the Troop C, Weldon Spring, area. The investigation continues. Identification has not been released.

There were zero boating fatalities over the 2013 July Fourth counting period. Troopers investigated 17 boating crashes involving 11 injuries.

Troopers also arrested 17 people for boating while intoxicated over the holiday counting period. During the 2012 July Fourth weekend, officers investigated six boating crashes, which included two injuries and no fatalities. One person drowned, two people were electrocuted, and seven people were arrested for boating while intoxicated during last year’s July Fourth weekend.

The Patrol says fatality statistics may change if someone dies from their injuries or if other law enforcement departments report fatal traffic crashes after today’s press release was sent out, or if a fatality is determined to be caused by a medical condition rather than traffic incident.

The Patrol posts all accident details on its website, click  HERE.

AUDIO: Jessica Machetta reports (:65)