Missouri Teenage Drivers and Fatal
Accidents
Missouri Fatal
Crash Victims Involving Teen Drivers in 2008
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Except to family and friends of these victims, telling
teens nearly 200 of their peers will die in 2008
means very little. It is hoped seeing the names and faces make these tragedies
a reality.
Teens - The teens listed here had hopes, dreams, desires - just like you.
Only one mistake makes them different .
They are more than a statistic! |
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Victim(s) and What happened |
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This site is not affiliated with any organization but for grieving families,
recommends.... The Compassionate Friends goal is to assist families toward
the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age
and to provide information to help others be supportive.
Personal message to parents
who have lost a child
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External
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5-6 |
A |
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17 year old Maurice Zimm in St Louis,
MO (lost control of van, hit curb, vehicle flipped, partially ejected) |
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St Louis |
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St Louis Dispatch |
N1 |
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5-3 |
V |
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18 year old Jodie Wharf in Jasper County,
MO (vehicle driven by 17 year old strikes back of flat bed trailer parked
partially in roadway, unlit at dusk) |
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Republic |
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MHP |
Y1
N1 |
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5-3 |
A
V |

Ashley

Kenny |
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19 year old Ashley Wilson and 17 year
old Kenneth Jaco "Kenny" in St.
Francois County, MO (lost control on hill crest, slid off road and struck
tree, one teen passenger serious. Kenneth passed away on 5/4) |
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St Louis
House Springs |
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MHP |
N3 |
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4-27 |
A |

Jesse

Max |
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20 year old Jesse Davison and 20 year
old Max Stegall in Nodaway County, MO
(lost control on wet pavement while passing another vehicle. Slid off
road, struck embankment, ejecting passenger. Came to rest on roadway.) |
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Burlington Junction
Elmo |
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MHP |
N2 |
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4-27 |
V |
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20 year old Robert Clute "Petey"
in Jasper County, MO (vehicle driven by 17 year old skids off
roadway, struck a concrete and overturned) |
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Joplin |
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MHP |
N2 |
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4-27 |
V |
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14 year old Joshua Gaffney in Saline County, MO (two vehicles eastbound
on highway collide. Vehicle 1 ran off roadway and overturned. Victim was
passenger in #1, with family heading to a military graduation for older brother.
Driver of #2 was 20 years old.) |
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Bonner Springs, KS |
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MHP |
2Y
1N |
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4-26 |
M |
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19 year old in Joanna Bendler in Franklin
County, MO (ran off road and struck tree while driving ATV) |
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Lonedell |
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MHP |
*2 |
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4-18 |
V |
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17 year old Benjamin Gray in Clay County,
MO (vehicle driven by 17 year old driver runs stop sign and is
broadsided) |
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Missouri City |
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MHP |
N3 |
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4-14 |
P |
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49 year old Kenneth Lewis in Franklin County, MO (victim was walking
in roadway at night with back to traffic when struck by 19 year old driver) |
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Pelsor, AR |
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MHP |
N1 |
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California tells the story of three teens on their new teen driving site
- 16 year old
Annie
Vano, 19 year old
Trevor
Gilbert, and 17 year old
Joel
Davis. Please watch these short video clips about these three young people.
You may not have known them personally, but you do know teens just like them. |
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4/12/2008 New York Post - "Since 2003, more than 25,000 young people
between 16 and 20 have been killed in car crashes, reports the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration. Those who've been driving less than six months
are three times more likely to have a fatal accident"
4/11/2008 KTTV - California Highway Patrol Officer Joe
Zizi, while reporting that killed four teens in a car crash while on a church
outing - "Law enforcement routinely sees these crashes, these horrific crashes,
with teenage drivers. And these teenagers have this mentality of, this video-game
mentality. They can reset the button and get a new life in a video game.
That just doesn't happen in real life. They're driving a 5,000 pound car
and it's a huge responsibility, and it's up to parents to very much impress
upon them that huge responsibility. And this is just a tragic example, these
two bodies laying here, of that lesson."
AAA 4/9/2008 - "AAA said this morning that crashes involving teen
drivers between ages 15 and 17 "cost American society more than $34 billion
annually in medical expenses, lost work, property damage, quality of life
loss and other related costs." According to the Pacific Institute for Research
and Evaluation, teen drivers in 2006 were involved in about 974,000 crashes,
injuring 406,427 people and killing 2,541 people.... "Some of these costs
are paid directly by government through Medicaid, police, paramedics and
courts. Many other costs - like lost wages, traffic delay and reduced quality
of life - don't show up directly, but also reflect the very large, very real
cost of crashes involving teen drivers," said Darbelnet (AAA President
and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet)
4/8/2008 Detroit Free Press - Three L'Anse Creuse North High School
died in a car crash in Chesterfield Township, Michigan. Father of 17
year old Nicholas Noble, had just returned from making funeral arrangements
for his father, when he heard of the crash. He was unable to reach his son,
or his son's friends, by cellphone. Matt Noble is now planning two funerals.
18 year old Jordan VandePuttes mother, Jill Grewette, was at work, as
a X-ray technician for the local hospital, when she hear about the crash.
She too was unable to raise her son on his cellphone. Then she saw his friends,
one dying, in the emergency room, and told the reporter "I was trying to
find him, calling the police officers from the scene, calling my husband.
And when I saw these two kids in desperate situations, and they were his
friends, I knew he didn't make it." Father of 17 year old Robert McQuire,
the boy losing the fight for his life in the emergency room, said "It
doesn't come any worse than this," Tim McGuire said. "It's every parent's
worst nightmare."
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4-11 |
M |
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51 year old Steven Keith in Blue Springs, MO (motorcycle escort for
funeral procession struck 4/2 by a 20 year old driver) |
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Blue Springs |
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KC Star |
*1 |
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4-7 |
A, V |

Brendan

Lynn |
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18 year old Brendan Hulett and 18 year
old Lynn Plummer in Saline County, MO (ran
off side of road, overcorrected, came back on road spinning, struck by oncoming
vehicle, engulfed by fire) |
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Sweet Springs
Sweet Springs |
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MHP |
Y2 |
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4-7 |
M |
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19 year old Devin Dudenhoeffer in Osage
County, MO (ran into rear of another motorcycle driven by 19 year old,
overturned, ejected) |
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Westphalia |
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MHP |
*1 |
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4-5 |
A |
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17 year old Gage Gransee in Oregon
County, MO (skidded off roadway on curve, overturned, ejected both driver
and passenger, who was seriously injured) |
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West Plains |
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MHP |
N2 |
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4-4 |
V |
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22 year old Shawn Reesor in St Charles County, MO (vehicle driven
by 20 year old driver traveled off roadway, struck mailbox, overcorrected,
spun across road, struck culvert, went airborne and overturned) |
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O'Fallon |
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MHP |
U3 |
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Pending Legislation - Little chance of passing.
Missouri House Bill 1492 raises the legal driving age from 16 to 18 years
of age and the age to obtain an instruction permit from 15 to 17 years of
age.
more House Bill 1800 establishes additional requirements
for individuals younger than 18 years of age to obtain an intermediate driver's
license.
more Stands a chance - House Bill
2078 prohibits the issuance of a driver's license or termporary permit to
any person 15 to 18 years of age if a school submits information that the
student is not in compliance with the eligibility standards -
more |
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3-30 |
A |
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20 year old Zackary VanFleet in Pike
County, MO (suffered unreported medical condition, traveled off road,
struck utility pole, ejected) |
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Louisiana, MO |
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MHP |
N1 |
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3-30 |
A |
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20 year old Jeremy Harris in Northland,
MO (lost control on highway ramp, ran off steep embankment) |
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Kansas City |
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KC Star |
U3 |
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Opinion - Is the State of Missouri about
to recognize victims of drunk driving crashes as the 'only' legitimate victims
worth receiving road side recognition? Proponents of the bill, which
WILL pass, state "This will eliminate make-shift markers and allow
the Department of Transportation to better control the highway right-of-way."
read
more
/ read HB1406 (road side memorials are a controversial
issue. On the one side, they are a helpful tool in the healing process for
victim family and friends, and a reminder to those driving by, that deadly
crashes happen everywhere there is a roadway. On the other hand, they
can be hazardous to the flow of traffic, if passing cars slow, and can
potentially interfere with DOT mowing operations. While I agree with those
who say something should be done, we feel the decision should be fair to
all victims, and not favoring any class of victim. Our reasons for feeling
this should be addressed, is simple. While researching daily for this site,
we have come across too many incidents over the years, where visitors paying
their respects at these road side memorials, are killed in secondary crashes.
But, unlike our state legislature, which apparently has a sincere passion
for sticking up signs and billboards on Missouri roadways, we would encourage
them to examine other options. We find it hypocritical to claim family and
friends are cluttering the roadway with a few crosses and flowers, when they
are barely visible among the the thousands of ugly commercial billboards
that dot our roads! This is an issue that should be examined and addressed
fairly - for all crash victims, and available to all victim crash
families.) |
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3-30 |
A |
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16 year old Garrett George in Johnson
County, MO (lost control, rolled and ejected - no other details given) |
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Spring Hill |
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KC Star |
N1 |
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3-28 |
A |
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19 year old Davin Brown in Pulaski
County, MO (victim travelled off right side of road, overcorrected, went
off left side of road, overturned, partially ejected thru windshield) |
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Lebanon |
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MHP |
N1 |
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   March 27, 2008 - Ulysses, Kansas - Four teen passengers killed
when 17 year old driver pulls into path of semi-truck. Victims - Victoria
R. Dowell, 17; Myranda H. Mason, 16 ; Julia E. Alcala, 17; and Veronica McDaniel,
17 . |
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3-26 |
A |
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26 year old Miguel Cores-Savionon in St Charles County, MO (victim
pulled into path of vehicle driven by 17 year old) |
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St Louis |
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MHP |
Y1 |
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3-25 |
A
V
A |

Jessica

Kellie
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18 year old Jessica Murray, 15 year old
Kellie Murray and 87 year old Frank Miko in Pulaski County,
MO (Jessica's vehicle crossed centerline and struck Mr Miko's vehicle
head-on. According to newspaper forum entry, Jessica's older sister Amanda,
also died in a previous car crash. Jessica had been awarded numerous athletic
awards, most recently being named first team all-district in basketball.
A 16 year old friend, enroute to the hospital to see Jessica's 15 year old
sister, who was seriously injured in this crash (later passed away), was
himself seriously injured, when the car he was driving, ran off the right
side of the road, overcorrected, overturned numerous times, and ejected him.
Mr Miko was a retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major and was a veteran
of World War II, Korea and Vietnam wars) |
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Richland
Richland |
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MHP |
N2 |
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Cristel Elaine Miess,
age 12, Gracy Jane Miess, age 5, and Gaberielle Miess, age 6 months, all
of Licking, Missouri, passed away March 20, 2008 when the vehicle they were
riding in was rear ended by a semi -truck, while stopped for road construction.
Four members of a Joplin,
Missouri, family were travelling to Dallas, Texas for a medical appointment
for one of their sons on March 9, 2008. Police say a semi-truck rear-ended
their vehicle at a traffic light in Pryor, Oklahoma killing all four, Robert
and Melissa Hayes, and two teenage sons, Tyler and Colby. A third son, was
serving in Iraq, at the time of the crash. |
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3-16 |
M |
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19 year old Stephen Buckman in St Francois
County, MO (victim on motorcycle on off road riding area in St Joe State
Park ran headon into ATV being drivin by 12 year old) |
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Desloge |
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MHP |
*
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March 15 - 47 year old Ava school teacher Tawnya Lea VanDyne dies
when the car she is driving ran off road and struck a tree and a fence. |
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3-13 |
A |
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17 year old Nicholas Neal "Nick"
in Lafayette County, MO (pulled into path of vehicle driven
by 19 year old, who received serious injuries) |
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Odessa |
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MHP |
N1
N1 |
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According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 3,490
drivers in the 15-20 age group died in motor vehicle crashes in 2006, and
an additional 272,000 were injured. |
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3-4 |
A |
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18 year old Garrett Clark in Jackson
County, MO (vehicle left roadway on interstate exit ramp, went airborne,
struck concrete pillar and guardrail) |
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Blue Springs |
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MHP |
N
1 |
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3-3 |
A |
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22 year old David Wetter in Franklin County, MO (vehicle driven by
19 year old driver crossed centerline and struck vehicle 2 on drivers
side, both vehicles slid out of control, vehicle 1 then struck vehicle 3
head on. Victim was driver of vehicle #3) |
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Montgomery Cuty |
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MHP |
Y
1 |
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2-22 |
A |
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31 year old Shawn Gredvig in Osage County, MO (Victim crossed centerline.
Oncoming vehicle driven by 20 year old swerved into oncoming vehicle 1's
lane to miss being struck. Vehicle 1 swerved back into its own lane, and
vehicle's struck headon.) |
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Holts Summit |
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MHP |
Y
2 |
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2-21 |
A |

Alicia

Kayla |
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17 year old Alicia Carter and 18 year
old Kayla Carter in Monroe County, MO
(lost control on icy curve, struck culvert, overturned - victim's
were sisters) |
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Paris
Paris |
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MHP |
Y
2 |
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2-17 |
A, V |
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20 year old Gerald Blevins "Shorty"
and 25 year old Todd Brown in Greene County, MO (lost control at high
rate of speed, ran off roadway, hit culvert, overturned, struck tree) |
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Willard
Willard |
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MHP |
Y
4 |
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Opinion - Be careful quoting statistics
from any website, including this one. Verify what you can. Once something
is in print, no matter how erroneous, it will be repeated and soon become
accepted as fact. For instance, which of these statements appearing on government
or news media websites, are true, and which have been "fabricated"?
1. A teenager is killed in a car crash every 64.5 minutes. 2.
Teenage drunk driving is the cause of one quarter of all motor vehicle accidents
3. One teen is killed in the United States every 60 minutes because
of teen drunk driving. 4. In 2005, approximately 3467 teens were killed
and 281000 more injured. 5. According to historical data from The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in eight teens is likely
to drive after drinking alcohol this holiday season, and 30 percent of American
teens this month will ride with a driver who has been drinking alcohol.
Additionally, statistics show that in 2003, 27 percent of 16- to 20-year-old
passenger vehicle drivers fatally injured in crashes had blood alcohol levels
of 0.08 percent or more, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway
Safety. 6. In 2005, approximately 3,467 teens were killed and 281,000
more suffered injuries due to driving under the influence.
7. Teenage drunk driving is responsible for about one in
every four motor vehicle accidents. 8. Every
year, more American teenagers die in car wrecks than any other way. Nationally,
that number was 5,610 fatalities in 2004. 9. A
teenager is injured in a car crash every 55 seconds. A teenager is killed
in a car crash every 6.5 minutes. (it is quite obvious
that #3 & #9, although widely used, are not possibly true, using the
figures in #4, or #8.. #1 might have been true years ago, but with 8760 hours
in a year, you can do the math. #6 blames every teen fatality recorded in
drunk driving!! #7 is just absurd. The message to teens is real ... please
don't cloud it with bogus 'facts'. If you expect teens to drive like adults,
respect them with the truth. And if you find something wrong on this site,
please let us know. We don't need to make up facts to make teens dieing in
car crashes worse than they already are.)
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2-11 |
A |
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20 year old Molly Schwartz in Warren
County, MO (slid on ice, rotated off road, struck culvert, overturned.
Pfc in MO National Guard) |
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Jonesburg |
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MHP |
N
1 |
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2-9 |
V |
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16 year old Michael McMahon
"Mick" in St Louis County, MO (vehicle driven by teen
driver sitting a stop light rear-ended by truck) |
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St Louis |
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KSDK |
U
3 |
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2-7 |
A |
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18 year old Allen Fowler in St
Louis County, MO (vehicle overturned - no other details available) |
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St Louis |
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St Louis Post Dspatch |
U
1 |
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2-2 |
A |
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28 year old Dennis Riegel in Franklin County, MO (vehicle driven by
20 year old travels off roadway, overcorrects, slides into path of vehicle
driven by victim, then stikes 3rd vehicle. Passenger in veh #2 seriously
injured, driver of vehicle #3 moderate, and 20 year old seriously injured.
Victim and his passenger to be be married in March. ) |
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Washington |
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MHP |
N
1 |
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 18 year old Jon and 13 year old James Herbert, sons of top
fuel drag racing star Doug Herbert, were killed in a car crash in Lake Norman,
N.C. today, when Jon lost control while trying to pass other vehicles.
In memory of his lost sons, Doug has plans to develop B.R.A.K.E.S., a
program to promote safer driving for teens.
Put on the
Brakes |
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1-24 |
A |
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20 year old Rick Speorl in Stone County,
MO (vehicle ran off roadway and struck a tree) |
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Reeds Spring |
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MHP |
N
1 |
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1-21 |
A |
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20 year old Jeremy Schottel in Phelps
County, MO (vehicle driven by 40 year old driver crossed centerline. Victim
attempted to evade by driving into his ditch. Oncoming vehicle continued
into lane and struck victim's vehicle) |
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Savannah |
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MHP |
Y
1 |
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1-16 |
A |
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18 year old Kelsey Ryan in Jackson
County, MO (lost control on icey road while merging into traffic, struck
by semi, overtuned) |
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Platte City |
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MHP |
Y
1 |
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1-11 |
A |
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89 year old Richard Jones in Clay County, MO (victim traveled off
right side of road, overcorrected, and crossed into path of vehicle driven
by 20 year old driver) |
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Holt |
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MHP |
Y
1 |
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Jan 9 - 26 year old Bradleyville High School teacher and girls
basketball coach Troy Hays is killed when the car he is riding in runs into
the back of trash truck in foggy conditions. |
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1-5 |
A, V, V, V |

James G

Young

James R

Zachary |
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18 year old James Gangwes
17 year old Young Kim
16 year old James Robinson
and 17 year old Zachary Whittet
in Greene County, MO (lost control
while cresting hill, ran off roadway and struck tree) |
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Springfield
Springfield
Springfield
Springfield |
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MHP |
Y
4 |
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1-5 |
P |
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31 year old Gregory Pyatt in Montgomery County, MO (struck by 18 year
old driver while attempting to cross dark road on foot) |
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New Florence |
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MHP |
* |
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1-5 |
V |
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16 year old Kevyn Morang in Newton
County, MO (vehicle driven by 18 year old ran off left side of roadway
and through guardrail) |
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Galena, KS |
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MHP |
N
1 |
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1-1 |
M |
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20 year old Christopher White
"Blake" in Springfield, MO (struck bridge
abutment, passenger seriously injured - died 1/5) |
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Springfield |
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Springfield News-Leader |
* |
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Opinion - There is an old saying
that "it is better to remain quiet and thought a fool, than to open ones
mouth and remove all doubt". Thanks to modern technological advances, the
anonymity of the web offers anyone with a thought, an avenue to spew their
wit and wisdom for others to read. Some may well think this site is nothing
but, and this great country offers you the right to have that opinion. This
webmaster would like to go on record as saying that those who feel it is
necessary to start passing judgment in newspaper forum's about teen crashes,
are similar to the hit and run driver, who cowardly flees a scene after leaving
devastation in their wake. Family members, reeling in shock and grief, do
not need to read the speculation and judgment's by anonymous parties on why
their child perished. You have the right to write anything you want, but
class dictates there is a time, and a place to express these type's of opinion's
.... and some are best left to ones self. |
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Above info is obtained from Missouri Highway Patrol and
media reports. The MHP only works
crashes outside city limits. Accidents happening inside the limits of a Missouri
city are not
listed here unless found in local media. This list is NOT all inclusive.

Please contact the webmaster
with corrections or additions
The names appearing on this site are the names of those who died in these
crashes. Only crashes with a driver 20 years or younger involved is
listed. List does not include teens killed in crashes w/ adult drivers.
Teens/children who died in these crashes are in bold.
Photos typically shown of teens only. No implication of fault is intended,
but sometimes necessary to explain crash.
A - Automobile Driver / V
- Vehicle Passenger / P -
Pedestrian
Y - Seat belt worn / N - No Seat belt / U - unknown
or unreported seat belt / * - N/A
Number of occupants of vehicle(s) driven by teen driver |
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