Three people died in traffic crashes during the 2014 Labor Day holiday weekend. Last year, there were eight fatalities. The 2014 counting period ran from 6 p.m., Friday, August 29, through 11:59 p.m., Monday, September 1, 2014. During this period, the Patrol investigated 293 traffic crashes, which included 111 injuries and three fatalities. Troopers made 80 arrests for driving while intoxicated in 2014, compared to 119 arrests last year. (Note: in 2013, troopers investigated 248 crashes, which included 112 injuries and four of the fatalities.)
There were zero boating fatalities over the 2014 Labor Day holiday. Troopers investigated 11 boating crashes involving four injuries. There were no drownings reported. Troopers also arrested 13 people for boating while intoxicated over the weekend. During the 2013 Labor Day weekend, officers investigated nine boating crashes, which included seven injuries and no fatalities. There were no drownings in 2013. Troopers arrested 14 people for boating while intoxicated during last year’s Labor Day weekend.
Of the three traffic crash fatalities troopers investigated, one occurred in each of the following areas: Troop A, Lee's Summit, MO, area, Troop C, Weldon Spring, MO, area, and the Troop G, Willow Springs, MO, area.
There were no fatalities on Friday, August 29, 2014, or Saturday, August 30, 2014, during the counting period.
Two fatalities occurred on Sunday, August 31, 2014. Kirk P. Lochirco II, 23, of Arnold, MO, died when the vehicle he was driving traveled off the left side of the road, struck a cable barrier, and overturned. Lochirco was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and was partially ejected from the vehicle. Joachim Plattin EMS pronounced Lochirco dead at the scene. The crash occurred in Jefferson County on Interstate 55 northbound at the 171.4-mile marker.
Billy L. Moore, 79, of Oak Grove, MO, died when the vehicle he was driving was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 and struck another car head-on. Moore was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. Lafayette County Assistant Coroner Billy Banes pronounced Moore dead at the scene. The driver of the car Moore's vehicle struck was wearing a seat belt; he did not sustain any injuries in the crash. The crash occurred in Lafayette County on Interstate 70 eastbound at the 53.2-mile marker. Lafayette County Sheriff's Department also responded to the scene.
One fatality occurred on Monday, September 1, 2014. Dylan K. Fitzwater, 24, of Patterson, MO, died when the vehicle he was driving traveled off the right side of the roadway, struck a tree, and overturned. Fitzwater was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and was partially ejected from the vehicle. Reynolds County Coroner Jeff McSpadden pronounced Fitzwater dead at the scene. The two passengers in Fitzwater's vehicle sustained minor and moderate injuries; neither were wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. The crash occurred in Reynolds County on Clearwater Lake Road 3, 10 miles southwest of Piedmont, MO.
NOTE: The fatality statistics in this news release could change if late deaths occur, if other departments report fatal traffic/boating crashes after this news release was published, or if a fatality is determined to be caused by a medical condition rather than traffic/boating incident.
