The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported one person died in a traffic accident during the Christmas holiday counting period in the state.
There were 53 traffic crashes and 18 injuries in a 30-hour period. Eight persons were arrested for driving while intoxicated.
The lone fatality occurred on Christmas Eve in the Jefferson City area. Kenneth E. Parsons, 63, of Osage Beach, died when the vehicle he was driving crossed the center line, ran off the left side of the roadway, struck an embankment, became airborne, struck a tree and overturned. Parsons was partially ejected. The vehicle came to rest off the roadway on its top. Miller County Coroner Rick Callahan pronounced Parsons dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
A passenger in Parsons’ vehicle sustained serious injuries and was taken to University Hospital by Staff for Life. She was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The crash occurred on Midway Road just north of Cave Road in Miller County.
Last year’s 102-hour counting period included six fatalities and 342 injuries. Over the 2012 Christmas holiday, troopers investigated 239 traffic crashes and arrested 130 people for driving while intoxicated.