Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Troop G, headquartered in Willow Springs, recorded its 22nd traffic fatality over the Labor Day weekend in Carter County.
Chris A. Terrell, 65, Clarkton, suffered fatal injuries in a motorcycle crash at 3:20 p.m. Monday on Highway 21 at east U.S. 60, about 9 miles east of Van Buren in Carter County, according to Tpr. N.G. Britt.
The patrol reported Terrell’s southbound 2007 Harley-Davidson motorcycle ran off the right side of the road and overturned.
Carter County Coroner Joe Chapman pronounced Terrell dead at 3:38 p.m. at the scene.
Passenger Regina A. Hawkins, 60, also of Clarkton, suffered serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center for treatment, according to the patrol. It was not known if either of riders wore a helmet at the time of the crash.
At this time last year, Troop G reported 17 traffic fatalities within its nine-county region.
Britt was assisted at the sceneby Msgt. B.D. Foster and Sgt. L.B. Monahan.
Terrell’s death is one of 12 reported over the holiday weekend by the patrol, nine of which the agency investigated. The remaining crashes were investigated by Joplin police, which responded to two, and Springfield police.
Between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Monday, preliminary statistics from the patrol show, 306 traffic crashes were investigated by the agency, 146 of which involved injuries and nine were fatal. Also in that same time period, the patrol arrested 119 drivers for driving while intoxicated and made 19 drug-related arrests.
By comparison, in the same time period in 2022, the patrol investigated 286 traffic crashes, 119 of which involved injuries and four of which were fatal; the patrol noted there were three additional crashes, bringing the state total for the weekend to seven. DWI arrests numbered 121 last year, the patrol added.
In addition to Monday’s fatal crash in Troop G, two traffic deaths were recorded each in Troop B, Macon; Troop D, Springfield; and Troop H, St. Joseph; One such crash each was reported in Troop A, Lee’s Summit and Troop E, Poplar Bluff.
The Troop E fatality was reportedly that of a 5-year-old girl from Doniphan, who died when the vehicle in which she was a passenger ran off the right side of the road, struck an embankment and overturned. The child was not using a car seat at the time of the crash.
The crash occurred on Saturday on Ripley County Road N-2 south of Oxly. Deputy Coroner Chad Haywood pronounced the child dead at the scene.
The driver of the vehicle was reportedly uninjured. It is unknown if the driver was wearing a seat belt.
The patrol does not publish identifying information about children.
