The Versailles High School community is in mourning following a Friday night crash near the Lake of the Ozarks that killed a teenager.

In a statement posted to the district’s website Saturday, June 7, 2025, the Morgan County R-II School District identified Ryan Simpson as the 16-year-old who died in a two-vehicle collision that occurred in the eastbound lanes of U.S. Route 54, about two miles north of Bagnell Dam. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s report, which no longer includes names, the 16-year-old had parked his vehicle on the shoulder of the highway, but with the left wheels still in the driving lane. At around 10 p.m., the vehicle was struck in the rear by an SUV driven by a 41-year-old from Eldon. The teenager was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, while no injuries were reported for the Eldon driver.

The district says that Simpson would have been a junior this fall, and was involved in DECA, cross country, football, track and field, and wrestling. Counseling services will be available for students and staff Monday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Versailles High School commons.