Police investigate crash that killed 7-year-old

A fatal crash that claimed the life of a 7-year-old girl Monday is still under investigation, police say.

Hailey Dacus, 7, of Jackson suffered extensive head injuries when the passenger side of a 2004 Chevrolet Venture minivan driven by her mother, Victoria Dacus, 25, struck a Hummer parked by the roadside, said Sgt. Jason Selzer, spokesman for the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

The wreck occurred at about 5 p.m. Monday in the westbound lane of Highway 74 near Minnesota Avenue, Selzer said.

Hailey Dacus died at an area hospital about an hour later, said Cape Girardeau County Coroner John Clifton.

Two other people in the van, Caleb Dacus, 10, and Quinton Dacus, 6, were in the backseat, and transported to a nearby hospital along with Victoria and Hailey Dacus, said Sgt. Kevin Orr of the Cape Girardeau police.

Hailey Dacus died of extensive trauma to the head as a result of the crash, and no autopsy will be necessary, Clifton said.

The others were treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Selzer said.

Ice and snow had built up along the side of Highway 74, which may have made it difficult for the driver of the Hummer to pull completely out of the path of oncoming traffic, Selzer said.

No one was in the Hummer at the time of the collision, but the driver, Shelton Hempstead Jr. of Cape Girardeau, was standing by the side of the road, Selzer said.

Police believe Hempstead got out of the vehicle because it was out of gas, Selzer said.

All three children had been buckled up, but at some point the two boys in the backseat had taken their safety belts off, and Hailey Dacus unstrapped her own belt and turned around to tell them to buckle up again, Selzer said.

She was attempting to refasten her belt when the crash occurred, Selzer said.

The accident is still under investigation by police to determine exactly what happened, Orr said.

Investigators will submit the "black box" recording devices from the vehicles to a Missouri State Highway Patrol lab for analysis to help determine rate of speed of the van, Orr said.

Statements for witnesses, markings on the road, and accident reconstructionists will help determine how the wreck occurred, he said.

"We may be able to backtrack to the events leading up to the accident," Orr said.

Hailey Dacus was a student at North Elementary, where her two brothers also attend, principal David Gross said.

"Hailey was just as sweet as she could be," Gross said.

At least four counselors were available to speak with students about the loss Tuesday, and school officials made sure the students were given accurate information and the opportunity to ask questions, Gross said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

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