Two killed in accidents on U.S. 63

An Ashland teenager on her way to school and a Boone County man walking home were killed in separate accidents at two different points on U.S. 63 on Wednesday.

The teen, Amanda N. Nowlin, 16, was driving west in a 1997 Mitsubishi Galant after stopping at an intersection on Route H when she crossed into the path of an SUV driven by Shauna M. Bandy, 22, who was driving north on U.S. 63, according to a police report.

Nowlin was pronounced dead at the scene. Nowlin’s sister Bethany E. Nowlin, 11, a passenger in the car, was taken to University Hospital, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report. She was listed in fair condition Wednesday evening.

Bandy, 22, of Hartsburg, was moderately injured and was taken to Boone Hospital Center.

Nowlin was on her way to Southern Boone County High School on Crump Lane, north of Broadway in Ashland.

The second accident on Wednesday occurred at about 4:25 p.m. when a man who lives at Sunset Mobile Home Park tried to cross the highway, heading home from Blue Acres Mobile Home Park.

John M. Gregg, 52, was struck by a pickup truck traveling south on U.S. 63 near Route AC and pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report. His body came to rest in the middle of the southbound lanes of the highway, about 20 feet from where he was struck. The driver, Rodney D. Gilpin, 58, of Columbia, refused treatment at the scene, according to the report.

Randall Blake, who lives at Blue Acres Trailer Park, said that before police arrived, a man who identified himself as a minister pulled his car off the road and then went to pray over the body.

Officials have not determined if charges will be filed against Bandy or Gilpin, said Highway Patrol Sgt. Paul Reinsch.

“This is about the third (pedestrian death) we’ve had in about six months,” Blake said. “This is a prime example right here of how dangerous this road is.”

The most recent pedestrian fatality there was in November when a resident of a Lenoir Street trailer park was struck after buying a pack of cigarettes at the Blue Acres restaurant and store. Blake said that people cross the highway at that spot to go to the store.

Nowlin’s death was the fifth of an Ashland teenager in the past two years, said Price Nichols, public information officer at the Southern Boone County Fire District.

“Way too many Ashland kids are dying,” said Nichols, who added that he has been first on the scene at three of the deaths.

Nichols, who responded to the first crash Wednesday for the Southern Boone County Fire District, said an overpass is needed at the intersection of Route H and U.S. 63. There have been a number of accidents at the intersection, and this is not the first fatality, he said.

“When someone is sitting there at a stop sign, and you’ve got cars speeding by at 70 mph, it can get pretty dangerous,” Nichols said. “This girl was probably just trying to get across and get to school.”

Nichols, who has been with the department for 28 years, said that an overpass has been planned for the intersection for a long time. An overpass would lead drivers on Route H over U.S. 63, instead of forcing them to dodge speeding vehicles on the highway.

Ashland Police Chief Scott Robbins said that although the intersection where Nowlin’s car was struck is dangerous, all of U.S. 63 — an uncontrolled access highway — is hazardous because it has no acceleration or deceleration lanes.

“The speed limit is 70 mph, and we’re pulling people over going 85 or 90 mph,” Robbins said. “If someone is driving along and not paying attention, it’s horrible.”

Robbins said that lowering the speed limit on the road would reduce the danger. He cited U.S. 36 as an example, where the maximum speed limit in controlled zones is 65 mph. In uncontrolled zones, it’s 60 mph — 10 mph slower than on U.S. 63.

Dawn Haslag, a customer service representative for the Missouri Department of Transportation, said that while the Transportation Department is aware of the need for an interchange at U.S. 63 and Route H, it is low on the list of priorities and unlikely to become a reality anytime soon.

“Unfortunately,” Haslag said, “the funding is just not there.