Several Traffic Accidents Caused by Unexpected Weather in the Lake Area

Fast-deteriorating roads kept the highway patrol and local first responders busy in the Lake Area late Monday morning and during the afternoon. At least two injury accidents are being attributed to the weather. The first happened around 1:15pm on Route-52 about a mile west of Cherry Road in Morgan County when 60-year-old Mitchell Gresham, of Osage Beach, rear-ended 83-year-old Twila Garber, of Versailles. Gresham was seriously hurt and taken to University Hospital after his car slid off the roadway and struck a utility pole. The second accident happened just before 5:00 on Route-Y at the North Frontage Road in Camden County. In it, a dumptruck rounding a curve slid across the centerline striking a pickup driven by 71-year-old Douglas Horman, from Linn Creek. The dumptruck driver was uninjured while Horman suffered minor injuries and was taken by private conveyance to urgent care. At one time, during the height of the chaos, Camden County reported at least 17 active accident scenes stretching first responders thin and forcing the sheriff’s department to suspend the answering of any non-emergency calls.