MISSOURI STATE HIGHWAY PATROL
A Division Of The
Department of Public Safety

Public Information and Education Division - PO Box 568 - Jefferson City, MO 65102

NEWS RELEASE

For further information please contact: Capt. J. Tim Hull
(573) 526-6115
12099
December 28, 2009
EMPHASIS: Patrol Reports 11 Traffic Fatalities Over Christmas Holiday

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports 11 people died during the Christmas holiday counting period--from 6 p.m., Thursday, December 24, to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, December 27, 2009. The Patrol investigated 494 traffic crashes, which included 11 fatalities and 148 injuries. Troopers arrested 42 people for driving while intoxicated during this year’s Christmas holiday. During last year’s counting period, the Patrol investigated 306 traffic crashes, which included 12 of the 15 fatalities and 128 injuries. Troopers arrested 83 people for driving while intoxicated over the 2008 Christmas holiday.

Of the 11 fatalities during the 2009 Christmas holiday, five fatalities occurred in the Troop E, Poplar Bluff area; four fatalities occurred in the Troop A, Lee’s Summit area; and one fatality occurred in both the Troop C, Weldon Spring area, and the Troop D, Springfield area.

Two fatalities occurred on Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2009. Missouri State Highway Patrol Corporal Dennis E. Engelhard, 49, of Weldon Spring, MO, died when he was struck by a vehicle. Cpl. Engelhard was standing behind his patrol vehicle, which was parked with the emergency lights activated due to a non-injury traffic crash. The driver of another vehicle lost control on the ice covered roadway causing the vehicle to spin clockwise and strike Cpl Engelhard. The driver of the vehicle that struck Cpl. Engelhard was not injured in the crash; he was wearing a seat belt. The crash occurred on Interstate 44 just east of Missouri Highway 109 in St. Louis County.

George R. Bailey, 52, of Bolivar, MO, died when the vehicle he was driving traveled off the left side of the road and struck a tree. Bailey was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The crash occurred on Missouri Route PP six miles north of Bolivar in Polk County. Dr. Shaid Kahn pronounced Bailey dead at Citizens Memorial Hospital in Bolivar.

Five people died on Saturday, December 26, 2009. Shenika N. Flemons, 32, of Kansas City, MO; Kawanna M. Jackson, 32, of Kansas City, MO; Lakeidra L. Kemp, 32, of Columbia, MO; and Kamyra Payne, 2, of Kansas City, MO, died when the vehicle Flemons was driving crossed the center line, rotated counter-clockwise, and struck the rear of another vehicle. The vehicle then skidded into the path of a third vehicle. Flemons' vehicle then came to rest facing westbound on the eastbound shoulder of U.S. Highway 50. The crash occurred on U.S. 50 near Missouri Route W in Pettis County. Two passengers in Flemons' vehicle sustained serious injuries in the crash; they were not wearing a seat belt. Flemons and Jackson were wearing their seat belts; Kemp and Payne were not. The driver of the first vehicle Flemons' vehicle struck was not injured in the crash; it is unknown whether or not he was wearing a seat belt. Flemons' vehicle skidded into the path of a vehicle with two passengers; one sustained moderate injuries and one sustained serious injuries. The driver of that vehicle was not injured in the crash. All three persons were wearing their seat belts. All fatalities were pronounced at the scene by Pettis County Coroner Skip Smith.

Richard L. Hale, 45, of Sikeston, MO, died when the car he was driving ran off the right side of the roadway, struck a culvert, went airborne, struck a sign, and overturned. The crash occurred on Missouri Route WW north of Dudley, MO, in Stoddard County. Hale was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Stoddard County Coroner Morgan Sifford pronounced Hale dead at the scene.

Four people died on Sunday, December 27, 2009. Leon Cash, 57, of Rockford, IL, died when the vehicle he was driving (northbound) ran off the left side of the roadway, crossed the median, and struck a (southbound) vehicle driven by Howard M. Gilliland, of Memphis, TN, who was killed in the crash. Two passengers in Gilliland's vehicle-- Vontina A. Gilliland, 27, and Felecia R. Reeves-Gilliland, 52, both of Memphis, TN -- also were killed in the crash. Vontina Gilliland was not wearing a seat belt; it is unknown whether or not Reeves-Gilliland was wearing a seat belt. Howard Gilliland was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Two passengers in Gilliland's vehicle sustained moderate injuries; neither were wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Cash was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. A passenger in Cash's vehicle sustained serious injuries in the crash; she was wearing a seat belt. The crash occurred on Interstate 55 at the 8.4-mile marker in Pemiscot County. Pemiscot County Coroner Jim Brimhall pronounced all four fatalities dead at the scene.

Note: The fatality statistics in this news release could change if late deaths occur, or if other departments report fatal traffic crashes after this news release was sent out.

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