© 2024 St. Louis Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

17 People Died Over Fourth Of July Weekend On Missouri Roads

(via Flickr/Be.Futureproof)

It was a deadly holiday weekend for motorists in Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says 17 people were killed between 6 p.m. Wednesday and just before midnight today. An additional 157 people were injured, and state troopers arrested nearly 200 people in for driving while intoxicated. 

Both those numbers are significantly higher than last year's totals, but troopers only tallied 30 hours worth of data last year. This year's count was nearly three times as long.

In addition to the highway fatalities, the patrol says three people apparently drowned during the weekend, and 11 others were injured in boating accidents. Seventeen people were booked for boating while intoxicated.

By The Numbers (data tallied from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 11:59 p.m. Sunday)

  • 360 total crashes, with 17 people killed and 157 injured on Missouri roadways.
  • Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers worked 358 crashes with 13 fatalities. Columbia Police worked one crash with one fatality. St. Louis city police worked one crash with three fatalities.
  • 199 people arrested for driving while intoxicated.
  • Seven of the 17 people were killed on July 4. Six people were killed on the roads on Saturday.
  • Of the 13 fatalities investigated by state troopers, nine occurred in the Lee's Summit and Macon districts.
Rachel is the justice correspondent at St. Louis Public Radio.