2 Missouri Truck Drivers Killed in Head-on Collision on This Road

Two Missouri truck drivers were killed in a violent head-on collision Friday morning on a 2-lane Missouri highway southwest of Lamar.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, two truck drivers were heading opposite directions on Highway 43 about 12 miles southwest of Lamar. The trooper report says a 2016 Kenworth tractor-trailer was southbound on 43 when the vehicle crossed the center line and ran head-on into a 2021 Freightliner box truck. The report says the Freightliner caught fire after the collision.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says both drivers were pronounced dead at the scene by the Barton County coroner and next of kin were notified. No names have been released at this time, but the patrol says one driver was a 45-year-old male from Joplin, Missouri while the other was a 61-year-old male from Knob Knoster, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says this is the 9th and 10th fatality for Troop D already in 2025. The crash is under investigation by the governing authorities in that part of Missouri.