A 17-year-old girl from Lohman was seriously injured early Saturday when the car she was driving left Route T in Moniteau County, flipped and landed upside down. The teen was not wearing a seat belt, according to the crash report, and her 2024 Hyundai Elantra was totaled in the wreck.
According to KOMU 8, the crash happened about 1,500 feet south of Genny Road as the teen was driving her car northbound on Route T. The outlet reported the crash occurred at 12:26 a.m., though accounts of the exact timing vary: ABC17NEWS put the time at about 12:30 a.m., while KRCG 13 cited a Missouri State Highway Patrol report placing it at 12:16 a.m. All three accounts agree the crash happened south of Genny Road in the early hours of Saturday.
Car Came to Rest on Its Roof
The teen's car traveled off the right side of the road, overturned and came to rest on its top, per the crash report cited by KOMU 8. ABC17NEWS reported the same sequence, noting the 17-year-old was driving a 2024 Hyundai Elantra at the time. The vehicle was totaled, according to the crash report.
Moniteau County EMS transported the teen to Capital Region Medical Center, where she was reported to have suffered serious injuries. The Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report does not identify the victim by name, a standard practice ABC17NEWS noted applies across its crash reporting.
Multiple Agencies Responded
Highway Patrol Troop F, the Cole County Sheriff's Office and the Moniteau County Sheriff's Office all responded to the scene, according to KOMU 8. The report does not say why the vehicle left the roadway.
The teen's lack of a seat belt echoes a broader pattern tracked by state officials. The Missouri Department of Transportation says six out of 10 Missourians killed in traffic crashes were not wearing their safety belts at the time.
