Several injured in traffic accidents on roads in area

A Springfield man was injured in a three-vehicle accident at 6 p.m. Wednesday on County Road 2207, a mile east of Aurora in Lawrence County, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Jeffrey P. James, 31, was taken to St. John’s Hospital in Aurora, the patrol said.

James was a passenger in a westbound car driven by Dennis R. Barnard, 56, of Springfield, that was slowing down approaching a bridge and was struck in the rear in a chain-reaction accident, the patrol said. A westbound car driven by Kimberly K. Shoemaker, 46, of Marionville, ran into the rear of a westbound pickup truck driven by Glenn D. Elliott, 68, of Marionville, knocking Elliott’s truck into the rear of Barnard’s car, the patrol said.

n Six people were injured in a single-vehicle accident at 10 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 43, 17 miles southwest of Lamar in Barton County, the state patrol said.

The driver, Jennifer N. Havens, 21, of Pittsburg, Kan., and four of her passengers suffered minor injuries for which they planned to seek treatment on their own, the patrol said. One of the passengers, Tarah L. Cockrell, 21, also of Pittsburg, was flown by medical helicopter to St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, the patrol said.

The vehicle was southbound when Havens swerved to miss a deer in the roadway, and the vehicle ran off the road and overturned, the patrol said.

n Two Jasper residents suffered serious injuries in a single-vehicle accident at 9:50 p.m. Tuesday on U.S. Highway 71, three miles south of Lamar in Barton County, the state patrol said.

The driver, Daniel A. Sprenkle, 17, and a passenger, David K. Nally, 17, were flown by medical helicopter to Cox Medical Center South in Springfield, the patrol said.

The southbound car ran off the road and overturned, throwing Nally from the vehicle, the patrol said.

n A Stella woman was injured in a two-vehicle accident at 3:29 p.m. Tuesday on U.S. Highway 71, six miles south of Pineville in McDonald County, the state patrol said.

Barbara L. Carnes, 32, was taken to Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville, Ark., the patrol said.

Carnes was driving a northbound car that was struck in the side by a westbound van driven by Billie J. Swank, 32, of Noel, the patrol said.