Fatal Route H Crash Near Black Oak Church Road

Crash on Route H

A 44-year-old woman from Lincoln died and two other people were injured in a two-vehicle collision on Route H in Benton County on Wednesday evening, July 30, 2025.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, as summarized by ABC 17, placed the crash south of Black Oak Church Road. At approximately 7:25 p.m., a northbound 2015 Ford F-450 crossed the center line and struck a southbound 2013 Ford Edge, according to the report.

Both vehicles left the roadway. The Ford Edge driver, a 44-year-old Lincoln resident, was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:37 p.m. An 11-year-old girl riding in the SUV and the 44-year-old pickup driver, from Carrollton, sustained minor injuries and were taken to Bothwell Regional Health Center. The crash report said none of the three occupants was wearing a seat belt. The reports reviewed did not name the deceased woman.

The initial crash account describes the vehicle movements reported by investigators; it does not by itself establish why the pickup crossed the center line or determine civil responsibility.

Later Court Case Update

In later proceedings, the 44-year-old driver was charged with driving while intoxicated involving a death and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. KTTN reported that he pleaded not guilty on October 28, 2025, and that a grand jury indictment alleged he was intoxicated, entered the oncoming lane, and left the scene. Those are allegations, not findings of guilt.

On April 23, 2026, KTTN reported that the case was being moved to Henry County on a change of venue. The article said proceedings would continue in Benton County until a trial date was set, and a criminal setting was scheduled for June 30, 2026. The later setting’s result has not been confirmed in the sources reviewed.

Location of the Incident

The crash was reported on Route H south of Black Oak Church Road. The map marks the reported road area for geographic context, not a surveyed impact location.

Laws Affecting This Incident

The following Missouri statutes relate to reported facts and later filed charges. A crash report or criminal charge does not establish that a person violated a law; that determination belongs to the court based on evidence and applicable law.

• Missouri Revised Statutes § 304.015 generally requires a vehicle on a sufficiently wide public road to be driven on the right half of the roadway, subject to listed exceptions. The Highway Patrol report, as summarized by ABC 17, said the northbound pickup crossed the center line. That reported movement alone does not establish why it happened or whether a statutory exception applies.
• Missouri Revised Statutes § 577.010 defines driving while intoxicated as operating a vehicle while in an intoxicated condition. Prosecutors later charged the driver with DWI involving a death, according to KTTN. He pleaded not guilty; the charge is an allegation, not a finding.
• Missouri Revised Statutes § 577.060 addresses leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, death, or property damage. KTTN reported a charge under this law and a not-guilty plea. The available reporting does not establish a final court outcome.