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
12262019 (573) 526-6115
December 26, 2019
EMPHASIS: Missouri State Highway Patrol Reports Two Fatalities Over Christmas Holiday; No Boating Crashes Or Drownings
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports two people died in traffic crashes during the 30-hour 2019 Christmas holiday counting period. The 2019 Christmas counting period ran from 6 p.m., Tuesday, December 24, 2019, through 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, December 25, 2019.
2019 Christmas Holiday Traffic Statistics
Troopers investigated the following:
Traffic
Crashes ―
91
Traffic Crash
Injuries ―
23
Traffic Crash
Fatalities
―
2
DWI ―
18
[Note: Last year during the 102-hour Christmas counting period, there were 1,155 traffic crashes. In those crashes, 11 people were killed and another 421 were injured. During the 2018 Christmas holiday, troopers arrested 106 people for driving while impaired.]
There were no boating crashes or drownings over the 2019 Christmas holiday counting period.
Both fatalities occurred in the Troop C, Weldon Spring, area, on Christmas Day, December 25, 2019.
Leon J. Barnett, 48, of De Soto, MO, died when another vehicle struck the motorcycle he was driving. Barnett was traveling at a low rate of speed in the northbound lanes of Interstate 55 in Jefferson County when another vehicle traveling the same direction changed lanes. The front of the second vehicle struck the rear of Barnett’s motorcycle. The impact caused Barnett to be ejected. Barnett was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. Joachim-Plattin EMT M. Tawfall, Crystal City, MO, pronounced Barnett deceased at the scene of the crash. The driver of the vehicle that struck him sustained minor injuries; he was wearing a seat belt.
Elizabeth J. Rutledge, 32, of Troy, MO, died when the vehicle she was driving traveled off the right side of the roadway and she overcorrected, causing the vehicle to return to the roadway and overturn. Rutledge was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle. The crash occurred on Highway H in Silex, MO, in Lincoln County. Lincoln County Ambulance personnel pronounced Rutledge deceased 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
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 to the media.
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