A 40-year-old Glasgow man died Thursday evening after a deer struck by another vehicle flew into the windshield of his oncoming Jeep on U.S. 40 east of Rocheport, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The crash happened at the intersection of Rocheport Gravel Road and North Shady Hills Lane and shut down the highway for about an hour before it reopened.
According to KOMU 8, a 75-year-old Clark man was driving a Chevrolet Equinox eastbound when he struck a deer. The impact sent the deer into the westbound lane, where it went through the windshield of an oncoming Jeep and struck the Glasgow man. The Jeep then left the roadway and hit trees, while the Equinox came to a stop on the right shoulder.
No Other Injuries Reported in the Crash
The crash report listed no other injuries beyond the fatality, the station's report notes, citing the Missouri State Highway Patrol's documentation of the wreck. Troopers notified the Glasgow man's family following the crash. Sgt. Kyle Green, a Troop F spokesperson, said the fatal wreck was one of two crashes reported in the area Thursday evening, per the same account.
The death marked Troop F's 56th traffic fatality of 2026, according to the station's report. U.S. 40 reopened to traffic after the roughly hourlong closure while investigators worked the scene.
Fall Is Peak Season for Deer on Missouri Roads
October and November are peak months for deer movement in Missouri, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. The agency, citing the Missouri State Highway Patrol, notes that Missouri consistently ranks 10th to 15th nationally in deer-vehicle collisions each year. In 2024 alone, the state recorded 2,952 crashes involving deer, resulting in four deaths and 420 injuries.
The stretch of highway near Rocheport has seen other serious wrecks in recent years, though not always involving deer. In April 2024, a car carrying five passengers, including three minors, rolled over on eastbound I-70 near the Rocheport Bridge, according to ABC 17 News. The driver died at the scene in that crash, while a 10-year-old passenger suffered moderate injuries and a 5-year-old suffered serious injuries; a baby was evaluated at the hospital without injuries. Both eastbound lanes of I-70 were closed for about an hour that day, with the right lane reopening around 6:30 p.m. and the left around 7:30 p.m., ABC 17 News reported.
