Teacher killed in car crash with cow on Hwy. 5

Holly Cooke, a 31-year-old Norwood woman, was killed last Monday night, June 17, on Highway 5, about six and a half miles northwest of Gainesville, after hitting a cow in the roadway. Cooke was a middle school math teacher at Hartville School District. She leaves behind a husband and three children. 

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our co-worker and friend, Holly Cooke.  Holly taught two years in the Hartville Middle School and touched countless lives with her upbeat personality and passion for education,” said Hartville Superintendent Adam Cook. “Please keep Holly’s family, friends, co-workers and students in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

Memorial services are being held at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 29, at Hartville School.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s online crash report, Cooke was driving a 1998 Lincoln Town Car southbound on Highway 5 around 10 p.m. when she struck a cow in the highway about six miles north of Gainesville. She had a 10-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl in the vehicle as passengers. 

Holly was pronounced dead by Ozark County Coroner Gene Britt at 10:45 p.m., and her next of kin was notified. The boy sustained serious injuries and was flown by helicopter ambulance to Mercy Children’s Hospital in Springfield. The girl was uninjured.

The report says that Holly was not wearing a seatbelt, but the children were properly secured. The vehicle was a total loss and was towed from the scene by Ron’s Recovery of Gainesville at the trooper’s request. It is unknown if the vehicle had insurance, the report says. 

This marks the eleventh fatality crash in MSHP’s Troop G, compared with 14 at this time last year. 

The crash was investigated by MSHP Sgt. L. S. Elliott. 

Ozark County Times

504 Third Steet
PO Box 188
Gainesville, MO 65655

Phone: (417) 679-4641
Fax: (417) 679-3423