MSHP Reports Eight Traffic Fatalities & Four Drownings Over July Fourth Weekend

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports the following 2023 July Fourth holiday statistics for the counting period of 6 p.m., Friday, June 30, through 11:59 p.m., Tuesday, July 4, 2023:

2023 July Fourth Holiday Boating Statistics

Troopers worked six boating crashes, which included two injuries and zero fatalities. Troopers made 10 boating while intoxicated arrests. Four people drowned over the holiday weekend. Two of the drownings occurred in the Troop F area, one drowning occurred in the Troop A area, and one drowning occurred in the Troop C area. Troopers worked all four drownings.

Two people drowned on Sunday, July 2, 2023. James D. Roy, 56, of Kansas City, MO, was last seen near a moored vessel. It is unknown how Roy entered the water. He was not wearing a life jacket and did not resurface. Camden County Medical Examiner Crystal Lloyd pronounced Roy dead at Mimosa Beach. The incident occurred at the Lake of the Ozarks near the 43-mile marker of the main channel in Bollinger Creek Cove in Camden County.

Hamsa Mohamed, 41, of St. Louis, MO, drowned after jumping from a cliff on the right side of Big River. He attempted to float and did not surface. He was not wearing a life jacket. High Ridge Fire Department personnel pronounced Mohamed dead at the scene. The incident occurred at Big River near Rockford Beach in House Springs, in Jefferson County. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and St. Louis County Police Department also responded to the scene.

Two people drowned on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. A six-year-old male drowned when he jumped into the water onto a lily pad, went under the water, and did not resurface. He was not wearing a life jacket. Dr. Campbell pronounced the six-year-old dead at Lake Regional Hospital. The incident occurred at the Lake of the Ozarks near the 65.9-mile marker in Lick Creek Cove in Camden County. The Camden County Sheriff's Office and Edwards, MO, Fire Department also responded.

Carlos Antonio, 22, of St. Joseph, MO, drowned when he was swimming, walked off a ledge in the water, and never resurfaced. He was not wearing a life jacket. The incident occurred at Smithville Lake near Little Platte Swim Beach in Clay County.

2023 July Fourth Holiday Traffic Statistics

Troopers worked 390 traffic crashes, which included 152 injuries and seven of the eight fatalities. The Kansas City Police Department worked the remaining fatality. Troopers also made 116 DWI arrests and 21 drug arrests over the holiday weekend.

One traffic fatality occurred in each of the Troop A, Lee's Summit, MO, Troop B, Macon, MO, Troop C, Weldon Spring, and Troop E, Poplar Bluff, MO, areas. Four fatalities occurred in the Troop H, St. Joseph, MO, area.

[During the 2022 counting period, 11 people were killed and 449 injured statewide in Missouri over the holiday in 1,069 traffic crashes. Troopers arrested 146 people for driving while intoxicated last year. Over the 2022 July Fourth holiday, there were nine boating crashes, which included five injuries and no fatalities. One person drowned during last year's July Fourth holiday. Troopers made 13 BWI arrests during the 2022 counting period.]
No one died in a traffic crash within the counting period on Friday, June 30, 2023.

Three people died Saturday, July 1, 2023. Timothy S. Hall, 37, of Grubville, MO, died when he lost control of the motorcycle he was driving, began to skid, ran off the left side of the roadway, and overturned. Hall was wearing a helmet; he was ejected. The crash occurred on Missouri Route WW at Blackhawk Lane in Jefferson County. EMS personnel pronounced Hall deceased at the scene.

Fabian C. Henderson, 34, of Lilbourn, MO, died when the vehicle he was operating ran off the left side of the roadway and overturned. Henderson was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected. The crash occurred on Missouri Route MM north of Lilbourn. New Madrid County Coroner George DeLisle pronounced Henderson deceased at the scene.

A 13-year-old male died when the vehicle in which he was a passenger traveled off the south side of the roadway, down an embankment, and struck a field entrance before becoming airborne and overturning multiple times. The vehicle came to rest on its wheels on the side of the roadway. The crash occurred on U.S. Highway 136 west of Stanberry, MO. Dr. Dela-Cruz pronounced the juvenile passenger deceased at Mosaic Medical Center in Albany, MO. The driver of the vehicle and a second passenger sustained serious injuries in the crash. All three people were wearing seat belts. Gentry County Sheriff's Office, Stanberry Fire Department, and Grand River EMS also responded to the scene.

There were no traffic fatalities reported Sunday, July 2, 2023.

There were no traffic fatalities reported on Monday, July 3, 2023.

Five people died in traffic crashes on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. Ricky E. Nutzman, 70, and Susan M. Nutzman, 70, both of Falls City, NE, died when the vehicle he was operating traveled from the Missouri Highway 13 ramp onto eastbound U.S. Highway 36 and cut across both lanes in front of a commercial vehicle. The commercial vehicle braked but was unable to avoid striking the vehicle's driver side. Both vehicles then traveled off the north side of the roadway into the median and came to rest. Both of the Nutzmans and the driver of the commercial vehicle were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. Dr. Dorsch pronounced R. Nutzman deceased at Cameron Regional Medical Center. Caldwell County Coroner Dana Brown pronounced S. Nutzman deceased at the scene. The crash occurred on U.S. Highway 36 at the ramp in Hamilton, MO, in Caldwell County. The driver of the commercial vehicle was uninjured in the crash. Caldwell County Sheriff's Department and Hamilton Police Department also responded to the scene.

Scott A. Hall, 38, of Bethany, MO, died when the utility vehicle he was operating traveled off the side of the roadway, began to skid, struck a rock, and returned to the roadway at which time Hall then overcorrected. The UTV then traveled off the roadway, struck an embankment, and overturned. It came to rest on the side of the roadway on its driver's side. Hall and a juvenile passenger were not wearing a seat belt and were ejected. The juvenile passenger sustained moderate injuries. A second passenger was wearing a seat belt and remained inside the UTV. She sustained minor injuries. The crash occurred on West 211 Lane south of Bethany, MO, in Harrison County. Dr. Manning pronounced Hall dead at Community Hospital. Harrison County Sheriff's Office also responded to the scene.

Terri L. Rucker, 43, of Bowling Green, MO, died when the vehicle she was operating traveled northbound in the southbound lane of U.S. Highway 61 and struck another vehicle head-on. Rucker was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Marion County paramedics pronounced Rucker dead at the scene. The driver and a passenger in the other vehicle were not wearing seat belts; both sustained serious injuries. The crash occurred on U.S. Highway 61 at New London, MO.

Timothy Merkel, 56, of Kansas City, MO, died when he was operating a motorcycle traveling west on NE Cookingham Drive. Another vehicle traveling west on NE Cookingham Drive and pulling a boat trailer was making a right turn onto NE Reinking Road. Merkel laid his motorcycle down in an attempt to avoid a crash, slid under the boat trailer, and struck it. Merkel was pronounced dead at Liberty Hospital. The crash occurred at Cookingham Drive and Reinking Road in Kansas City, MO, in Clay County. The Kansas City Police Department investigated the crash.

NOTE: The fatality statistics in this news release could change if late deaths occur, if other departments report fatalities after this news release was sent out, or if a fatality is determined to be caused by a medical condition rather than a traffic/boating/drowning incident.