Law. Co. crashes kill two in two days

Two fatal vehicle crashes took place in Lawrence County just two days apart, one killing a man from Florida and the other killing a woman from Marionville. 

The most recent of these crashes was on Monday, July 6. According to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash took place on Highway 39, near Lawrence 2185, about three miles north of Aurora. 

Per the report and a Facebook post by the Aurora Rural Fire District, a 74-year-old woman was driving her 1993 Chevrolet USPS truck southbound when it began to skid and traveled off the roadway. The vehicle overturned and the woman was ejected from her seat. She was not wearing a safety device. 

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene at about 1:50 p.m. She was taken to Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City. Her death marked Springfield Troop D’s 67th fatality in 2026. 

The second fatal crash occurred on July 4, killing a Florida man just outside of Mt. Vernon. 

According to the official report, a 44-year-old man from Cooper City, Fla. was traveling down I-44 eastbound when his 2020 Kenworth went off the left side of the roadway, striking a guardrail and bridge structure. The truck then overturned, hit another bridge structure and caught on fire. 

The driver was pronounced dead on the scene at 2:24 p.m. about one mile southwest of Mt. Vernon. He was taken to Lakin Funeral Home in Pierce City.