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. John J. Hotz
Q12282020 (573) 526-6115
December 28, 2020
EMPHASIS: MSHP Reports Five Traffic Fatalities Over Christmas Holiday Weekend; No Drownings Or Boating Fatalities
Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, provides the following preliminary statistics related to the Christmas holiday weekend:
Five people died in traffic crashes during the 78-hour counting period, which began at 6 p.m. Thursday, December 24, 2020, and ended at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, December 27, 2020.
2020 Christmas Holiday Traffic Statistics
Troopers investigated the following:
Traffic Crashes
—
175
Traffic Crash Injuries
—
55
Traffic Crash Fatalities
—
5
DWI
—
62
[Note: Last year during the 30-hour Christmas counting period, there were 278 traffic crashes statewide. In those crashes, three people were killed and another 111 were injured. During the 2019 Christmas holiday, troopers arrested 20 people for driving while impaired.]
There were no boating crashes or drownings over the 2020 Christmas holiday counting period.
Two traffic fatalities occurred in the Troop A, Lee’s Summit, area; one traffic fatality occurred in each of the Troop C, Weldon Spring, Troop F, Jefferson City, and Troop G, Willow Springs, areas.
One person died in a traffic crash during the counting period on December 24, 2020.
A 14-year-old juvenile from Ava, MO, died when the driver of the vehicle in which she was a passenger lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle then skidded off the roadway and struck a tree. The crash occurred in Douglas County on Missouri Highway 181 north of Dora, MO. Mr. Shawn Garrison, Howell County Ambulance, pronounced the juvenile dead at the scene. The juvenile was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The driver was not wearing a seat belt and sustained moderate injuries.
Three people died in traffic crashes on Christmas Day, December 25, 2020.
Alexander G. Thirstrup, 30, of Lee’s Summit, MO, and Domonic M. Robinson, 27, of Independence, MO, died in a multiple vehicle traffic crash. Thirstrup’s vehicle was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of Interstate 470 near the 13.4-mile marker in Jackson County. Thirstrup’s vehicle struck a second vehicle before striking Robinson’s vehicle (vehicle three). Thirstrup’s vehicle then traveled off the roadway and struck the median cable barrier. The second vehicle struck a fourth vehicle. Both vehicles then stopped. Robinson’s vehicle slid to a stop in the roadway. Debris from the traffic crash struck a fifth vehicle, which stopped at the scene of the crash. It is unknown whether Thirstrup was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Robinson was not wearing a seat belt when the crash occurred. One passenger in Robinson’s vehicle sustained serious injuries; three juvenile passengers sustained minor injuries. All the passengers in Robinson’s vehicle were wearing seat belts or in a child restraint system at the time of the crash. The driver of the second vehicle was wearing a seat belt; she sustained minor injuries in the crash. The drivers of the fourth and fifth vehicle were each wearing their seat belt and were not injured in the crash. Jackson County Medical Examiner Christina Hawkins pronounced Thirstrup and Robinson dead at the scene of the crash.
Christopher B. Dauphin, 32, of St. Peters, MO, died in a multiple vehicle traffic crash. Dauphin’s vehicle was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of Missouri Highway 364 in St. Louis County west of Missouri Highway 141 when his vehicle struck a second vehicle head-on. Dauphin’s vehicle then struck a third vehicle before being struck by a fourth vehicle. Dauphin was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. A Monarch Fire District representative pronounced Dauphin dead at the scene of the crash. The drivers of the two vehicles Dauphin’s vehicle struck sustained moderate injuries; both were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. The driver of the fourth vehicle was not injured; she was wearing a seat belt.
There were no traffic fatalities on Saturday, December 26, 2020.
One person died in a traffic crash on Sunday, December 27, 2020.
Kelly M. Sullivan, 56, of Kansas City, MO, died when the vehicle she was driving traveled off the roadway and she overcorrected. The vehicle then traveled off the other side of the roadway and struck a rock bluff before overturning. The crash occurred in Cole County on U.S. Highway 50 west of Lisletown Road. Sullivan was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and was ejected. Cole County Coroner Dr. Carl Doerhoff pronounced Sullivan dead at the scene.
Too many people die in traffic crashes each year in Missouri. The choices you make when you’re behind the wheel matter. Make good choices, so you’ll never have to say, “If I could just go back.”
Follow the Missouri State Highway Patrol on Twitter @MSHPTrooperGHQ
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