Counselors will be on hand at Carthage High School on Monday as students grieve the loss of one of their classmates in a weekend vehicle crash east of Carthage.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said driver Corbin J. Crowder, 16, Reeds, was killed in a crash at 2:03 p.m., Saturday on Missouri Highway 96 a mile east of Carthage.
The other driver, Beckie S. Wallace, 70, Webb City, was injured and taken by ambulance to Freeman West Hospital in Joplin.
The patrol said Crowder’s vehicle hydroplaned and crossed the centerline, striking Wallace’s vehicle. Jasper County Deputy Coroner Jason Hutchins declared Crowder dead at the scene.
Both drivers were wearing seatbelts.
Hydroplaning happens on wet pavement when a vehicle’s tires lose contact with the pavement when the vehicle is traveling at highway speeds. A vehicle becomes much more difficult to control when that happens and the condition can sneak up on a driver without warning.
Carthage High School Principal Matt Huntley sent a note to parents and students late Saturday saying the school was activating the district’s crisis plan and counselors would be available on Monday for students dealing with the death of Crowder, a junior at CHS.
“Counselors will remain with us for as long as is needed so that anyone who needs help will receive it,” Huntley wrote. “As we work through our own personal grief, please do not forget to lift Corbin’s brother, Ian (2017 CHS graduate) and his entire family up in prayer during this terrible time.”
The obituary for Corbin can be viewed at this link.
Jasper crash
Christopher G. Gastel, 33, Jasper, suffered moderate injuries in a one-vehicle crash at 9:39 a.m., Saturday on County Route N, two and a half miles southeast of Jasper, the Patrol said.
The patrol said Gastel’s vehicle was traveling east and ran off the left side of the road, hit a culvert and overturned.
The Patrol said Gastel was taken to Barton County Memorial Hospital in Lamar. The Patrol’s report said he was not wearing his seat belt.
