There were six fatalities and more than 80 injuries in boat and vehicle crashes over the Memorial Day holiday, including one death in Troop E and three serious injuries across the seven-county region.
An East Prairie resident was killed shortly after 8 p.m. Monday on Miller Road, two miles north of East Prairie, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Conor P. Chance, 21, is the 25th fatality in Troop E this year. Chance’s 2016 Nissan Altima ran off the right side of the roadway and struck a tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene by Mississippi County Corner Terry Parker.
A Dexter teen was taken by Air Evac with serious injuries after her vehicle also struck several trees in an accident around 6:30 p.m. Friday, one and a half miles north of Dexter.
The 17-year old was southbound on State Highway AD, at County Road 468, in a 2016 Mazda 3 when the accident occurred, according to the MSHP report. The vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway, became airborne and struck multiple trees, troopers report.
The teen was transported by Air Evac to St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.
At approximately 7 p.m. Saturday, two area residents were ejected from a 2014 Kawasaki 800 LE in an accident on Route JJ, 10 miles north of Poplar Bluff.
Jody A. Pitts, 54, and Thomas M. Armes, 57, both of Williamsville, were traveling east when the vehicle, driven by Armes, ran off the right side of the road.
Pitts was transported with serious injuries by ambulance to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center. Armes, who also suffered serious injuries, was transported by Air Evac to Mercy South in St. Louis.
There were a total of 270 traffic crashes over the holiday weekend, compared to 310 traffic crashes for the same period in 2020, according to the MSHP.
One fatality occurred in each of the following areas: Troop A, Lee’s Summit; Troop C, Weldon Spring; and Troop F, Jefferson City. The remaining two fatalities were investigated by the Springfield Police Department and St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
Troopers made 112 driving while intoxicated arrests and 77 drug arrests.
There were also 10 boating accidents across the state, with two injuries, one fatality and one drowning.
One person drowned Saturday in Iron County. No further details were available as of Tuesday morning.
One boating fatality occurred on Sunday, on Rinquelin Trail Lake in Maries County. Paul W. Becker, 77, of Crocker, Missouri, died after he fell overboard and didn’t resurface.