9 deaths over holiday; fatal accidents up in state, region

Four area residents died on Southeast Missouri roadways over the extended Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

The counting period began at 6 p.m. Wednesday and ended at 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports its troopers investigated 321 crashes statewide, with 72 injuries and nine fatalities. There also were 100 DWI and 78 drug arrests statewide.

In Troop E, “we had 45 crashes, four injuries and two fatalities,” said patrol Sgt. Clark Parrott. “We also arrested seven for DWI.”

Fatality crashes occurred in Dunklin and Scott counties, and neither driver was wearing a safety device, said Parrott, who indicated the two Bertrand residents killed in New Madrid on Wednesday before the counting period began had been wearing their seat belts.

“If you go through all our crash reports, serious crashes from the last week, the seriously injured had seat belt use,” Parrott said. “Seat belt use does reduce fatalities.

“We need to make sure every time we get in a car we put our seat belt on.”

Fatality crashes, Parrott said, aren’t limited to a specific time of day.

“You look at when we had ours, the one in Scott County was just after noon, 12:18 (p.m.),” Parrott said. “The other was at 12:55 (p.m.). Then, the two that did not make it in the counting period were at 11:18 in the morning.

“Crashes can occur at any time, anywhere. (Motorists) need to have their seat belt on and make sure you’re not driving intoxicated or impaired.”

The state, like Troop E, has seen an increase in fatalities in 2020.

“We were running a little ahead of (last year), which is something we don’t like,” Parrott said. “We are currently at an 11% increase (statewide) for the year.

“Last week at this time, we were at 8 or 9%, but with nine deaths” over the extended holiday, the number grew, Parrott said.

The state is at 894 fatalities right now as compared to 804 in 2019, Parrott said.

For the troop, “we were up 12 ahead of last year’s numbers; we’re at a 20% increase,” Parrott said.

In 2019, all reporting agencies in Troop E had 58 fatalities compared to its current 70, “with still a month to go,” Parrott said. “It’s not a trend we like. We need that going the other way.”

Those numbers are “very frustrating when you look at our unrestrained fatalities (which) are running at 68%,” Parrott said.

Unrestrained drivers also is a trend being seen in Troop G, including over the holiday weekend, said patrol Sgt. Jeff Kinder.

“We had a total of 21 crashes, eight injuries and two fatals,” Kinder said.

A driver in Carter County was partially ejected when his vehicle ran off the road and overturned, while a Reynolds County driver also was unrestrained at the time of his fatal crash, Kinder said.

“We were actually down three, but it looks like we caught up and are exactly at the same (number of fatalities) as last year, “ Kinder said.

Most of the state’s fatal crashes, according to Kinder, involved unrestrained drivers/occupants.

“Most (occur) on secondary roads, single vehicle, single occupant not wearing a seat belt,” Kinder said. “You would think it would be major highways where our fatals have occurred, but it’s not. “

The patrol reports a 17-year-old Kelso resident was killed in a one-vehicle crash at 12:18 p.m. Sunday on Interstate 55 in Scott County.

Abigail K. Jansen was operating a 2010 Toyota Camry southbound when it ran off the right side of the road and struck a tree, the patrol report said.

Jansen, who was ejected, was pronounced dead at 1:15 p.m. by Scott County Coroner Scott Amick. Jansen is the 59th fatality investigated by the highway patrol in Troop E this year.

The patrol also investigated a fatality crash, which occurred at 1:55 p.m. Saturday on Highway K, three miles east of Highway 21, in Reynolds County.

According to the report, Thomas B. Radford, 59, of Redford was operating a 1996 Ford pickup eastbound when it ran off the right side of the road and overturned, striking a large tree.

Radford was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:55 p.m. by Butler County Coroner Andy Moore. Radford is the 38th fatality investigated by the patrol in Troop G as compared to the same time last year.

A 34-year-old Van Buren man and a 53-year-old Kennett woman were killed in separate crashes Friday.

According to the patrol report, at 11:20 p.m. Friday, Joshua S. Crowley, 34, of Van Buren was operating a 2001 Ford pickup northbound on Highway A in Ellsinore when his truck ran off the right side of the road and overturned in a ditch.

Crowley, who reportedly was partially ejected, was pronounced dead at the scene by Carter County Coroner Erik McSpadden at 11:26 p.m. Crowley was the 37th Troop G fatality this year.

Earlier in the day, troopers worked a two-vehicle crash in Troop E at 12:55 p.m. on Highway Y, one mile east of Caruthersville.

The patrol reports Jamie Brock, 53, of Kennett was operating a 2019 Nissan Kicks southbound when it crossed the center line and struck a northbound 2017 Ford Expedition head on.

Brock’s car rolled, ejecting her. She was taken by ambulance to Methodist Medical Center in Paragould, Arkansas, where she was pronounced dead at 2:07 p.m. by a doctor there.

The other driver, Colton J. Holmes, 25, of Hornersville, reportedly was not injured in the crash.

Brock was the 58th fatality for Troop E this year.