5 people died in crashes over Labor Day holiday in Missouri; Most were unrestrained

Five people died in traffic crashes over the Labor Day holiday weekend in Missouri, most of whom were not properly restrained by seat belts or a child seat, according to a preliminary data released by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The people killed in the crashes ranged in ages from 3 years old to 75 years old and included a child not in an appropriate child seat and young woman who was riding in the bed of a pickup truck.

While Missouri’s seat belt usage rate has been improving, it still lags behind the national rate. In 2021, Missouri had a rate of 88% which trailed the national rate of 90.4%, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration.

Missouri has a secondary seat belt law, which means police cannot issue a citation for not wearing a seat belt unless the officer stopped the person for another infraction.

“Considerable research has shown that upgrading from a secondary to a primary seat belt law will significantly raise seat belt use rates when combined with education and enforcement,” according to the Federal Highway Administration.

A primary seat belt law allows police to stop a vehicle and issue a citation when they see an unrestrained driver or passenger.

Missouri’s law is primary for passengers younger than 16 years old.

Meanwhile, the Kansas Highway Patrol reported that two motorcyclists died in separate crashes over the Labor Day weekend. One of those killed was not wearing a helmet.

The fatal crashes

Highway patrol troopers investigated four of the five fatalities while the Springfield Police Department investigated the remaining one. The crashes occurred between 6 p.m. Friday and 11:59 p.m. Monday.

Steven R. Stafford, 25, of Versailles, Missouri, died Friday in a head-on crash on Missouri 5 highway north of Missouri Route MM in Morgan County. The other vehicle involved had passed several vehicles before colliding with Stafford’s vehicle, according to the highway patrol.

Stafford, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle in the collision was seriously injured. He was wearing a seat belt, according to the highway patrol.

On Saturday, 75-year-old Melvin L. Lewis of Fisk, Missouri, died in a rollover crash on Missouri 51 highway, south of Broseley, in Butler County, Missouri. Lewis’ vehicle went off the right side of the road, struck a driveway embankment and overturned. Lewis, who was not wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at a hospital.

A three-year-old child from Rocky Mount, Missouri, died in a crash on Missouri Route W south of the Marvin Cutoff in Morgan County, Missouri. The vehicle the child was a passenger in ran off the road, struck a chevron highway sign and overturned.

The child, who was not restrained in an age-appropriate child restraint, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and another child passenger were wearing seat belts and sustained minor injuries in the crash.

A 19-year-old Humansville, Missouri, woman was killed when the driver of a pickup truck lost control and went off the road. The truck struck a utility pole, chain link fence and tree before it overturned near the intersection of South Grant Avenue and West Meadowmere Street in Springfield, Missouri.

Kaylee Fields was identified as the person killed in the crash. She was riding in the bed of the pickup at the time of the crash and was ejected. Another passenger in the bed of the pickup suffered serious injuries.

The driver and a third passenger sustained minor injuries.

Meanwhile in Kansas, 53-year-old Bryan N. Hernandez of Salina, Kansas, was killed in a collision with a car. Hernandez, who was not wearing a helmet, was headed west on Kansas 4 highway when the car, which was headed east on K-4, turned in front of him at 15th Avenue, about 2 miles east of Lindsborg, Kansas, according to the highway patrol.

The driver and one of the passengers in the car were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

On Sunday, 71-year-old Joseph M. Mueller of Topeka was killed when he ran off of northbound Kansas 99 about four miles north of Admire in Lyon County, Kansas. Mueller was going around a curve when he went off the road. The motorcycle flipped and came to rest in a ditch. He was wearing a helmet, according to the highway patrol.

On Labor Day, 61-year-old William C. Chandler of Winston, Georgia, died when he lost control of the vehicle he was driving went off U.S. 60 west of Van Buren in Carter County, Missouri. Chandler over corrected and the vehicle careened off the left side of the highway and overturned.

Chandler, who was wearing a seat belt, died at the scene of the crash.

Other holiday statistics

During the holiday weekend, the Missouri State Highway Patrol worked 276 crashes that resulted in 97 people being injured. It also arrested 113 people on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and 55 people for drug-related crimes.

The highway patrol also investigated seven boat crashes that involving three injuries and one fatality as well as one drowning. It also arrested five people for boating while intoxicated and and five people for drug-related crimes.

Last year, the highway patrol investigated 318 traffic crashes, which include 121 injuries and six of the 11 traffic fatalities that occurred in Missouri over the holiday weekend. Troopers also arrested 109 people for driving while intoxicated.

The highway patrol investigated nine boating crashes where four people were injured and one person was killed. Troopers arrested four people for boating while intoxicated.

The Kansas Highway Patrol arrested 34 people for driving under the influence and issued 796 speeding citations. It also issued 89 safety belt citations to adults, 6 to teens and 23 child restraint citations.