Two Carthage residents were killed and two others injured in a two-vehicle collision 3 p.m. Wednesday on I-49 one mile north of Jasper.
According to the Highway Patrol report, a 2003 Toyota Corolla driven by a 30-year-old Carthage man was slowing to a near stop due to the driver falling asleep when it was struck from behind by a 2017 Ford F250 driven by a 56-year-old Mount Vernon man.
Jasper County Coroner James Harrison pronounced two passengers in the Toyota Carolla, Erick Francisco Vasquez Marroquin, 33, and Veronica Azucena Marroquin Chavez, 27, dead at the scene.
The names were released by the Jasper County Coroner’s office since the Missouri State Highway Patrol has instituted a new policy refusing to release the names of people involved in accidents.
The fatalities were the 97th and 98th this year for Highway Patrol Troop D.
Originally appeared on Inside Joplin
For more coverage of southwest Missouri and former Carthage Press Managing Editor Randy Turner’s daily column, sign up for the Turner Report Newsletter by e-mailing rturner229@hotmail.com.
