Area Wrecks Result In Serious  Injuries To Passengers, Drivers

A one-vehicle crash west of Ava last Thursday afternoon resulted in moderate injuries to an Ava man. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Syrl K. Ferguson, 76, was taken to Cox South Hospital, Springfield, by Cox Ambulance-Ava, after he lost control and flipped his car on Highway 14, seven miles west of Ava. The wreck occurred at 3:40 p.m. Ferguson was traveling east in a 2001 Toyota Prius when he lost control, ran off the roadway and overturned. The car came to rest upright on the shoulder of the road. Ferguson was wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred, according to the investigating officer, Cpl. A.D. Johnson. Ava Rural Fire Department assisted medical personnel and with traffic control. This past weekend was a busy one for emergency first responders who responded to a motorcycle crash west of Ava Saturday afternoon, a car wreck north of Ava on Sunday morning, and a bizarre incident Sunday afternoon in which a car ran into a house in Ava. The motorcycle wreck at 6:15 Saturday evening resulted in serious injuries to 45-year-old Rebecca Hutsell, of Ava. The Highway Patrol reported Hutsell was traveling west on Highway Y, three miles west of Ava, when she ran her 2014 Harley Davidson off the right side of the roadway and hit a fence. Hutsell was ejected and the motorcycle continued through the barbed wire fence. Hutsell was transported from the scene by Christian County Ambulance to an awaiting helicopter that airlifted her to Cox South Hospital in Springfield. The crash was investigated by Tpr. Jason Philpott who reported that the operator was wearing a helmet when the incident occurred. Ava Rural Fire Department assisted EMS and law enforcement at the scene of the crash. Fire department personnel also responded to a crash north of Ava around 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning that apparently resulted in no injuries to the driver. The wreck occurred about five miles north of Ava on Highway 5. Fire department personnel assisted the driver in exiting the car, that overturned in the ditch, through a rear window. The Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop G office released no report on the crash. Four people suffered serious to minor injuries on July 26 in a one-vehicle crash on Highway 76 at Bradleyville in Taney County. Troop D, Missouri Highway Patrol, reported that a 2009 Hyundai Accent driven west by Shane C. Weidman, 24, of Springfield, ran off the left side of the roadway and hit a tree and embankment. The driver sustained moderate injuries in the wreck and was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital, Springfield. Seriously injured and airlifted to Mercy Hospital were passengers, Ronny L. Baker, 44, of Forsyth, and Loressa E. Bailey, 23, of Kirbyville. Suffering minor injuries was an infant male, Bailey Sawyer, of Kirbyville. The wreck occurred at 5:35 a.m. and was investigated by Tpr. B.R. DeHaan. All were wearing seatbelts except Loressa Bailey, according to the Troop D report. Another wreck in the Bradleyville area on July 28, resulted in moderate injuries to the driver. The Highway Patrol said Paul J. Hampton, 39, of Fordland, was traveling south on Highway 125, 4.5 miles south of Bradleyville at 12:20 a.m. Friday when he lost control of his 1996 Ford Taurus, ran off the roadway, struck a rock and trees, and overturned. Hampton was taken by ambulance to Cox South Hospital, Springfield. Tpr. J.M. Linegar said it is unknown if Hampton was wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred. A bizarre incident in Ava late Sunday afternoon resulted in no injuries but serious damage to a car and an Ava residence hit by the car. The incident occurred in the 200 block of South Fleetwood Street. Ava police said the car was driven by Diane Barnes, 39, of Ava, who was cited for careless and imprudent driving. At the scene of the crash Barnes said she didn’t know what happened other than she got her foot on the gas instead of the brake.