Lake Area Sees Numerous Traffic Crashes & Boating Accidents Throughout The Weekend

There were a number of vehicle crashes and boating accidents over the weekend as the Memorial Day Holiday comes to a close.

As of Monday morning, the highway patrol was reporting five traffic accidents with seven injuries, five serious, on the roadways. Two of the accidents happened in Benton County and one each in Camden, Miller and Morgan counties.

There have been three incidents on the water resulting in four injuries, two serious, when one person came into contact with a boat prop and another was riding on a waverunner which turned in front of a boat.

And as far as those getting hooked up by the highway patrol, there have been at least nine people arrested…all but on alcohol-related with five DWI arrests and three BWI arrests. The other arrest was for driving revoked.

The official holiday counting period ends at 11:59 tonight.

Here’s the full reports on the accidents……

Vehicle Accidents

Two people are seriously hurt in an A-T-V accident on Berry Bend Avenue south of Route-Z in Benton County.

The highway patrol says it happened around 8:15 Sunday night when the A-T-V driven by 46-year-old Jerry Hollingsworth, of Belton, began skidding and overturned.

Hollingsworth and a passenger, 54-year-old Paul McGrew of Raymore, were both flown with serious injuries to Research Hospital.

Neither one was wearing a safety device when the accident happened.

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A Climax Springs woman is seriously hurt when the vehicle she was driving late Sunday afternoon ran off highway-7 along a curve near Bollinger Creek Road before striking several trees.

The highway patrol says 27-year-old Francine Manning was not wearing a seat belt.

She was taken to Lake Regional Hospital.

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Two people are seriously hurt early Saturday evening in a one-car accident on Miller County Route-C at County Side Road.

The highway patrol says the car driven by 24-year-old Chaunecia Berry, of Waynesville, approached a curve at a high rate of speed before skidding, crossing over the center and traveling off the roadway where it struck a tree and became engulfed in flames.

Berry escaped injury but two passengers, 23-year-old Dimonique Swain of St. Robert and 29-year-old Teresa Spence of St. Louis, were seriously hurt and taken to Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach.

All three were wearing seat belts at the time.

Boating Accidents

A 27-year-old woman from Liberty is injured early Sunday afternoon when the personal watercraft she was riding hit a wake, tossing her up before she came back down hitting the P-W-C and being ejected into the water.

It’s unclear where the accident happened other than somewhere in Camden County.

Allison Haynes suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Lake Regional Hospital.

She was wearing a life jacket at the time.

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A late Saturday afternoon outing on the water sends one person to the hospital with serious injuries after coming into contact with a propeller.

The water patrol division of the highway patrol says it happened at 264 Klehr Kove Circle in Camden County.

24-year-old Sophie Mount, of Greenwood, voluntarily left the pontoon boat when she came into contact with the prop. She was taken to University Hospital.

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Two 15-year-old girls are injured, one seriously, when they were riding a waverunner at the 2-mile marker of the Grand Glaize Arm and turned in front of a westbound boat.

The highway patrol says it happened around 12:30 Sunday afternoon.

Both of the girls were wearing lifejackets and were ejected from the waverunner. They were taken to Lake Regional before one of the girls was flown to University Hospital.

There were no injuries to anybody on the boat.