WEEKEND ACCIDENTS KILL FOUR

Two traffic accidents resulted in four fatalities in Southeast Missouri during the Memorial Day holiday. Nine accidents were reported in the region during the Memorial Day weekend.

Three people were killed and another person was seriously injured in a one-vehicle accident Sunday afternoon on Interstate 55 near Appleton.

Carl House, 63, and his wife Mary, 59, both of Memphis, Tenn., were pronounced dead at 2:03 p.m. by the Cape Girardeau County coroner.

Their grandson, John Cash, 6, also was killed in the accident. Another grandson, Ryan Cash, 5, was seriously injured and taken to Southeast Missouri Hospital. He was later transferred to Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the vehicle was traveling south on Interstate 55 when it ran off the left side of the road.

The car hit a guard rail, became airborne, struck an embankment, became airborne again and turned over, the patrol said.

Another fatal accident occurred north of Poplar Bluff when a pedestrian was struck by a tractor-trailer on Friday.

Memorial Day weekend traditionally is one of the busiest on America's highways.

At the Interstate 55 rest areas north of Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau West Rotary Club members provided coffee, lemonade and cookies to travelers in an effort to increase safety awareness.

Local emergency rooms stayed busy over the weekend dealing with minor accidents and holiday mishaps.

Most of the injuries treated at the hospitals were minor, said Janet Casper, a nurse at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

The hospital treated burns from barbecue grills and one case of food poisoning, she said.

But the majority of complaints at both Southeast Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center were sunburn related.

For many the weekend was the beginning of summer activities.

Barbecues, picnics and outdoor activities were in full swing for Memorial Day Weekend.

Several area pools filled up with more than just water this weekend. Public pools in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Scott City and Chaffee opened over the weekend.

In Cape Girardeau, only one of the city's two swimming pools, Capaha Pool, was open for the weekend. Central Pool will open June 5.

"The weather is unpredictable," said Doug Gannon, Cape Girardeau aquatics coordinator. The crowds Sunday and Monday were typical for the opening weekend, he said.

In Jackson, the pool wasn't as busy as last year's Memorial Weekend, said Carole Baugh, Jackson City Pool manager.

"The weather hasn't been on our side, but it'll pick up when the sun comes out and the humidity goes up," she said.

The pool opened for the season on Friday but Sunday was the busiest day, Baugh said.

"I think it's going to be a good summer," said Jamie Pell, manager of the Scott City Pool, which opened Saturday. "It's going to get hotter."

In Chaffee, the city pool also opened Saturday. "It's been a really good weekend for us," said pool manager Robin McKinley.