Patrol reports two deaths in unrelated weekend accidents

Area drivers were involved in two separate accidents with fatalities over the weekend, according to reports by the Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP).

At 5:30 p.m. on Friday in St. Francois County, the patrol reports that a Curtis E. Persons, 55, of Farmington was traveling east on Conway Road in a 2006 Jeep Liberty and failed to yield to a 1998 Ford L8501 driven north on Hillsboro Road by Timothy J. Hoppe, 34, of Bonne Terre. According to MSHP, the front of Persons’ vehicle struck the front of Hoppe’s vehicle.

As a result of the collision, Persons was pronounced dead on the scene at 5:45 p.m. by the St. Francois County coroner and was transported to the St. Francois County Morgue. The report states that neither Hoppe nor Persons was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. Damage listed to both vehicles was listed as “total” by MSHP.

In an unrelated accident, early on Sunday morning in Phelps County, Jessica M. Damitz, 33, of Kansas City was walking in the middle of eastbound I-44 at mile marker 173.8 when she was struck by an eastbound 2022 International tractor trailer driven by Aaron B. Schuler, 60, of Bonne Terre.

Damitz was pronounced dead on the scene at 6 a.m. by the Phelps County Coroner and taken to the Phelps County Morgue.