NEWS RELEASE
For further information please contact: Capt. Christian T. Ricks
Q07042 (573) 526-6115
July 6, 2004
EMPHASIS: Fourteen Deaths During July Fourth Weekend
Fourteen people died in traffic crashes during the 2004 July Fourth holiday counting period. The counting period began at 6 p.m., Friday, July 2, and ended at 11:59 p.m., Monday, July 5, 2004. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 232 injuries in 418 traffic crashes, and made 121 driving while intoxicated arrests. Last year, 20 people died during the counting period.
Of the 14 fatalities, three fatalities were investigated by Troop B, Macon; two fatalities were investigated by both Troop H, St. Joseph; and Troop I, Rolla; and one fatality was investigated by Troop C, St. Louis; Troop D, Springfield; Troop E, Poplar Bluff; and Troop G, Willow Springs. The remaining three fatalities were investigated by Springfield Police Department, Joplin Police Department, and the Cape Girardeau Police Department.
Two people died on Friday, July 2, 2004. Michael L. Kiger, 32, of Rich Hill, MO, died when he lost control of the vehicle he was driving, ran off the left side of the road, and struck an embankment. The crash occurred in Vernon County on U.S. Highway 71 north of Nevada, MO. Both Kiger and a passenger were ejected; neither was wearing their seat belt. The passenger sustained minor injuries. Kiger was pronounced dead on July 3, 2004, by Dr. Lopez at Overland Park Regional Hospital in Kansas City.
Woodrow W. Jensen, 91, of Joplin, MO, died when he drove into the path of an ambulance. Prior to the crash, Jensen stopped to allow two Newton County Sheriff’s Department vehicles to pass. The Newton County Sheriff’s Department and the ambulance were responding to an emergency call. Jensen, his passenger, and the two persons in the ambulance were all wearing seat belts. The crash occurred in Newton County, on Route FF in Joplin, MO. The Joplin Police Department investigated.
Three people died on Saturday, July 3, 2004. Luana M. Catron, 76, of Hamilton, MO, and Norman S. Sizemore, 40, of Lawson, MO, died when Sizemore failed to stop at a stop sign. His vehicle was struck by the vehicle in which Catron was a passenger. The driver of the vehicle Catron was in sustained moderate injuries. Neither the driver nor Catron was wearing a seat belt; Sizemore was wearing a seat belt. The crash occurred in Clinton County, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 69 and 240th Street, north of Lawson, MO.
Bryan K. Stewart, 27, of Summersville, MO, died when the vehicle he was driving ran off the roadway and overturned. Neither Stewart nor his passenger was wearing a seat belt; both were ejected. The passenger sustained serious injuries. The crash occurred in Texas County on Midvale Road north of Summersville. Texas County Coroner Tom Whitaker pronounced Stewart dead at the scene.
Seven people died in traffic crashes on Sunday, July 4, 2004. James F. Harris, 59, of Cape Girardeau, MO, died when a vehicle struck him. Harris was walking northbound on Sprigg Street and attempted to cross Missouri Highway 74 at the time of the crash. The driver of the vehicle that struck Harris was not injured. The crash was investigated by the Cape Girardeau Police Department.
Michael B. Greathouse, 19, of Novinger, MO, died when he failed to negotiate a curve. Greathouse lost control of the vehicle, which overturned several times. Greathouse was not wearing a seat belt; he was ejected from the vehicle. The crash occurred in Adair County on Missouri Route DD west of Missouri Route K, south of Novinger.
Johnathon L. Hancock, 23, of Madison, MO, died when he failed to negotiate a curve. His vehicle struck a roadside ditch and overturned several times. Neither Hancock nor his passenger was wearing a seat belt; both were ejected. The passenger sustained serious injuries in the crash. Acting Monroe County Coroner J. Scrogins pronounced Hancock dead at the scene. The crash occurred in Monroe County on Route A north of Holliday, MO.
Deborah L. McElwain, 20, of Macon, MO, and Lisa D. Unger, 36, of Rowlett, Texas, died in a traffic crash in Laclede County on Interstate 44 west of Lebanon, MO. The crash occurred when the driver of the vehicle in which McElwain was a passenger swerved to avoid striking a vehicle in front of him. The vehicle then traveled off the road, at which time the driver overcorrected, crossed the median, and collided nearly head-on with the vehicle in which Unger was a passenger. Laclede County Coroner Louis Beeler pronounced both McElwain and Unger dead at the scene of the crash. The driver and three passengers in the vehicle with Unger sustained moderate injuries; all four were wearing seat belts. The driver of the vehicle in which McElwain was a passenger was not wearing a seat belt; he sustained serious injuries.
Cheryl L. Crossen, 24, of Oxly, MO, died when the vehicle she was driving ran off the left side of the roadway and overturned. Crossen was not wearing a seat belt. The crash occurred in Ripley County east of Oxly. Ripley County Coroner Mike Jackson pronounced Crossen dead at the scene.
Esper J. Medlin, 89, of Maywood, MO, died when he pulled out from County Road 355 onto U.S. Highway 24 and stopped his vehicle. Another vehicle then struck Medlin’s vehicle broadside. Two passengers in Medlin’s vehicle sustained serious injuries. It is unknown whether or not Medlin and the two passengers were wearing seat belts. The driver of the other vehicle was wearing a seat belt; he sustained moderate injuries. The crash occurred in Marion County on U.S. Highway 24 and County Road 355, two miles west of Quincy, IL.
Two people died on Monday, July 5, 2004. David E. Cermak, 29, of Haymarket, VA, died when he attempted to pass another vehicle while driving on the shoulder. His vehicle struck the vehicle he was attempting to pass, then skidded back onto the shoulder where it struck a rock out-cropping approximately 14 feet from the roadway. The vehicle Cermak’s vehicle struck was sent skidding across the grass median and into oncoming traffic. A third vehicle struck the second vehicle causing it to overturn. The drivers in the second and third vehicle were both injured in the crash. All three drivers were wearing seat belts. The crash occurred in Greene County on U.S. Highway 65 in Springfield, MO. The Springfield Police Department investigated.
Edgar L. Hecht, 79, of St. Louis, MO, died when the vehicle he was driving traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a rock bluff. His vehicle overturned several times. Hecht was not wearing a seat belt; he was ejected from the vehicle. The crash occurred in Franklin County on Interstate 44 near Gray Summit, MO. Hecht was pronounced dead at St. Johns Hospital in Washington, MO, by Dr. Judge.