Four people dead in head-on crash in southeast Missouri

NEW MADRID COUNTY, Mo. - A head-on crash in southeast Missouri kills four Lilbourn residents Tuesday afternoon on Route U.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's (MSHP) crash report, the accident occurred Tuesday afternoon a little after 4:30 p.m. on Route U, a half west of New Madrid, involving a Dodge Stratus and a Jeep.

The crash happened when the driver of the Jeep lost control of the vehicle, crossed the centerline of the road and struck the Dodge Stratus head-on.

The Jeep was driven by a 41-year-old man, who served as off-duty sheriff's deputy, and his two daughters, a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old. The Dodge Stratus was driven by a 17-year-old teenage girl. All subjects involved in the crash were pronounced dead at the scene, the crash report says.

According to MSHP, all subjects were wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.