The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports nine people died in traffic crashes during this year’s Thanksgiving holiday counting period–from 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 27, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, December 1.
A news release says the Patrol investigated 404 traffic crashes, which included 166 injuries and seven of the fatalities. There were 94 driving while intoxicated and 63 drug arrests.
During the 2018 Thanksgiving holiday counting period, troopers investigated 543 traffic crashes, which included 11 fatalities and 140 injuries. Statewide, 13 people died and 498 people were injured in 1,640 traffic crashes last year. Troopers arrested 86 people for driving while intoxicated and made 67 drug arrests during the 2018 Thanksgiving holiday counting period.
Of the seven traffic crash fatalities troopers investigated this year, five fatalities occurred in Troop C, the St. Louis area; one in Troop B, the Macon area; and one in Troop D, the Springfield area.
Three drownings occurred on November 30- including two juvenile males when the vehicle in which they were passengers traveled into a flooded crossing on County Road 356 southeast of Patton; and 48-year-old Todd P. Dean, of Mandeville, LA, died when he drove his vehicle into a flooded crossing and the vehicle was swept downstream on County Road 234, one mile from Sedgewickville in Bollinger County.
There were no boating crashes, zero boating fatalities and no boating while intoxicated arrests reported.