A Mtn. Grove woman suffered fatal injuries in a head-on collision at 3:20 p.m. Thursday on Highway W, 3 miles south of Vanzant in Douglas County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Cpl. N.J. Britt with Troop G of the patrol, Willow Springs, reported a northbound 2005 Lincoln Town Car driven by Brenda L. Blacketer, 77, ran off the right side of the road, overcorrected and skidded across the road, hitting a southbound 2019 Mazda CX-3 driven by Kasara G. Frost, 24, also of Mtn. Grove.
Douglas County Coroner Rick Miller pronounced Blacketer dead at 4:02 p.m. at the scene; she was not wearing a seat belt when the crash occurred.
Frost, who did wear a seat belt, suffered serious injuries and was flown by helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Springfield for treatment, the patrol reported. A passenger in Frost's vehicle, Emily J. Schneider, 22, Vanzant, was also wearing a seat belt and was transported by Cox Ambulance to Mercy for treatment of moderate injuries, the report shows.
Blacketer’s death is the 36th traffic fatality for the year in the nine-county Troop G area, compared to 29 in the same time frame in 2022.
Britt was assisted at the scene by Cpl. S.J. Crewse, Tpr. W.A. Wadlington, the Douglas County Sheriff's Department and the Eastern Douglas County Fire Department.
