An 87-year-old Farmington woman was killed Wednesday evening after she was struck while crossing Missouri Route 32, in a crash that happened around 7 p.m. east of Michigan Street. The driver, a 28-year-old man from Park Hills, was not injured and was wearing his seat belt at the time, according to investigators.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the woman was struck by a car as she crossed the highway, according to KMOV. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:14 p.m. by the St. Francois County coroner, per a report from kttn.com, which identified the vehicle as a westbound 2021 Chevrolet Spark and said its front struck her.
The Chevrolet Spark sustained total damage in the collision and was towed from the scene by Boyds Towing, the outlet reported. Troopers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Major Crash Investigation Unit handled the scene, the same unit that typically responds to fatal roadway incidents across the region.
Highway 32 Has Seen Other Serious Crashes
Wednesday's fatality is not the only serious incident recorded on this stretch of Highway 32 in St. Francois County. In a separate crash, a Farmington woman died after being struck by a westbound Chevrolet Colorado while standing in the second lane of Route 32, according to Fox2Now; that driver was not injured.
Elsewhere on the same highway, a two-vehicle head-on crash at Front Street in nearby Park Hills left five people injured, including a 93-year-old woman and three children, when a Chevrolet Equinox crossed the centerline and struck a Dodge Grand Caravan, as reported by kfmo.com. Both vehicles in that crash were also totaled and towed from the scene, the station noted.
Statewide Numbers Show a Decline, but Pedestrians Remain at Risk
Wednesday's death comes even as Missouri's overall traffic fatality numbers have been trending downward this year. The state recorded 547 traffic fatalities in the first three quarters of 2026, a decrease of 120 compared with the same period in 2025, according to data from the Missouri Department of Transportation. That marks a 17.9% reduction from the third quarter of last year, and the agency has set a target of 887 or fewer fatalities for all of 2026.
MoDOT also reported that 15 counties recorded zero traffic fatalities during the first nine months of 2026, and the state saw 28 days without a single fatal crash over that same stretch. Even with those gains, pedestrians remain vulnerable: the agency's data shows Missouri recorded 139 pedestrian fatalities statewide in 2025, including 70 in St. Louis, with a 2% decrease from the prior year. Pedestrian deaths occurred every month of the year and on every type of roadway, the agency's figures show.
No additional details about the Wednesday crash, including whether any citation was issued, have been released by investigators.
