TWO-CAR CRASH KILLS MOTHER, SON FROM PATTON

MARBLE HILL -- A mother and her son were killed and another mother and her son seriously injured in a two-vehicle accident near Marble Hill Wednesday.

The accident occurred at 11:25 a.m. about two miles east of town when one of the vehicles crossed the center line and struck the other head-on, the Missouri Highway Patrol said.

Loyd Henson, 70, and his mother, Hazel Henson, 91, both of Patton, were killed. Marble Hill residents Kevin Ford, 23, and his mother, Euetta Ford, 49, were seriously injured.

The Fords were undergoing surgery at St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau Wednesday night.

The accident occurred at the intersection of Highway 34 and Route B when an eastbound pickup truck driven by Kevin Ford crossed the center line and hit a westbound pickup driven by Loyd Henson, the patrol said.

The two fatalities brought the death toll on Southeast Missouri roads to nine for the year. Last year seven people had died during the comparable period.

Bollinger County Sheriff Dan Mesey said an increase in population has created busier roads and more accidents in Bollinger County. The Missouri Highway and Transportation Department might consider widening Highway 34 from Jackson to Wayne County, which could help the situation in Bollinger County, officials say.

Mesey said many serious accidents occur in front his home on Highway 34 near Glen Allen. "There's not a single, straight or level road in the county," Mesey said.

Wednesday's accident was the first fatality in the county for the year although there have been other serious accidents.

Earlier this month separate accidents claimed the lives of three Poplar Bluff residents. One of the accidents was weather related.