A De Soto man and a Hillsboro woman died in a crash on Tuesday, Aug. 19, on Hwy. V north of Weathered Stone Drive south of De Soto area. In addition, a child was injured in the crash, the Missouri State Highway Patrol reported.
At 8:58 p.m., Joseph Vermeulen, 26, of De Soto reportedly was driving a southbound 1998 Dodge Dakota pickup too fast for road conditions, failed to negotiate a curve and began to travel off the right side of the road before overcorrecting and partially crossing the center line, where the pickup struck the front left side of a northbound 2012 Hyundai Elantra. Riki Hamm, 30, of Hillsboro was driving, the report said.
After the collision, the pickup slid and overturned, ejecting Vermeulen. The car traveled off the right side of the road and caught fire, according to the report.
Emergency service personnel pronounced both victims dead on the scene, Hamm at 9:22 p.m. and Vermeulen at 9:26 p.m., the report said.
A 3-year-old Hillsboro girl who was a passenger in the car sustained minor injuries and was taken by Valle Ambulance District to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, the report said.
According to the report, neither driver was wearing a seat belt, and the 3-year-old was restrained in a safety device.
Both vehicles were totaled, the patrol said.
The Highway Patrol no longer releases names of those involved in accidents. The Medical Examiner’s office identified Vermeulen and Hamm as the people who died in the accident.