2 die on area highways, rivers, 11 injured near Corning

Two people have died on Southeast Missouri highways and rivers since Saturday, while at least 11 people from a Union City, Tennessee, church were injured, three critically, north of Corning, Arkansas.

A Los Angeles, California, man drowned Saturday morning on the Current River at Chilton Creek and a Greenville man died in a one-vehicle crash Monday morning in Wayne County.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol incident report, David M. Robles, 82, of Los Angeles’ 17-foot Osage canoe was caught in a strong current and was swept into a root wad before capsizing.

The report stated the victim was trapped underneath a root wad and drowned about 11:30 a.m. Saturday on the Current River in Carter County. Robles was pronounced dead at 12:20 p.m. by Dr. Anil Napidelli and was taken to McSpadden Funeral Home in Van Buren.

The patrol was assisted by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the National Park Service.

In another area accident that occurred early Monday morning, Phillip R. Tanner, 36, was southbound on Route E, 2.5 miles of east of Greenville, when his vehicle traveled off the roadway and struck several trees. Tanner was driving a 2006 Ford Taurus.

He was pronounced dead at 1:05 a.m. Monday by Wayne County Coroner Mike Allen and transported to Ruegg Funeral Home.

Tanner is Troop E’s 29th fatality in 2021.

On Saturday, the passengers traveling in a van from the First United Pentecostal Church in Union City for a float trip on the Current River at Doniphan were injured in a two-vehicle crash around 1 p.m. on Highway 67, near Highway 328.

Clay County Sheriff Terry Miller said most of the victims were taken by ambulances to hospitals in Poplar Bluff and Paragould, Arkansas, while the three in critical condition were airlifted to St. Louis, Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee, hospitals.

“Three of the 11 are still hospitalized,” Miller said “One is in a St. Louis hospital and the others two are in Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital at Memphis. All the rest have been released from the medical facilities and are back home with their families.

The three still in the hospital are stable, but they’re still considered critical at this time.

The sheriff said, “I’m understanding the church bus pulled over on the side of the road. The driver failed to notice the oncoming the truck following behind them and pulled out in front of them. That’s the information that I’ve received. The other vehicle was a commercial motor vehicle.”

A person answering the church’s phone Monday morning said, “We do appreciate all prayers right now. We wouldn’t want a lot posted on the news. We still have two in very critical condition that’s still in hospitals. We appreciate all prayers.”

Due to circumstances involving family and children, “We just really don’t want to make any statements,” the person at the church said.