by Sarah Thomack
St. Joseph Post
There were no traffic fatalities in the Troop H area during the July 4th holiday weekend.
Sgt. Jake Angle with Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop H says all available troopers were out on the roads conducting DWI saturations and more during the peak travel period.
"You have to give credit to the motoring public too," Angle says. "People, I'd like to think, were paying attention. Although we did have five traffic crashes with four injuries, we had no fatalities, which is awesome, it's something we always like to see. But I just think it's a combination of being out there and being seen, good enforcement, and also the public doing their part."
Seven impaired drivers were arrested over the holiday weekend in the Troop H region.
Statewide, troopers worked 294 traffic crashes, which included 107 injuries and five fatalities. There were 139 DWI arrests and 126 drug arrests over the holiday weekend. During the 2019 counting period, 15 people were killed and 457 injured in Missouri over the holiday in 1,109 traffic crashes.
Troopers worked nine boating crashes, which included four injuries and zero fatalities. Troopers made six BWI arrests and 25 drug arrests. There was one drowning over the holiday weekend in St. Charles County.
The 2020 July Fourth holiday counting period began at 6 p.m., July 2, and ended at 11:59 p.m. July 5.
Traffic fatalities occurred in the Troop A, Lee’s Summit, Troop C, Weldon Spring, Troop E, Poplar Bluff, and Troop F, Jefferson City, areas.