Three injured in head-on crash near Theodosia

A two-vehicle head-on crash Tuesday afternoon near Theodosia sent three people to a Springfield hospital with serious injuries. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said 22-year-old Maggie Miller of Thornfield was driving a 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis west on Highway 160 just east of the Theodosia bridge when she lost control of her vehicle on a curve due to excessive speed. The car traveled off the right side of the road and Miller overcorrected, striking an eastbound 2010 Cadillac head-on. Miller, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle. Her car burst into flames.

The driver of the Cadillac, 69-year-old Dwain T. Hawn of Champagne, Ill., and a passenger, Linda L. Hawn, 65, also of Champagne, were trapped inside the Cadillac for several minutes with serious injuries.

The Mercury burned with such intensity the fire damaged the road surface, the MSHP said. Officials on the scene said the fire burned within a few feet of the Cadillac with the Hawn's still trapped inside. Firefighters arriving on the scene quickly doused the blaze. Miller was thrown over 30 feet from her vehicle.

Rescue personnel attended to the injured as three medical helicopters converged on the scene to transport the injured. All three were flown to Mercy Hospital in Springfield. Linda Hawn was listed Thursday in fair condition, while Dwain Hawn was listed in serious condition. Miller was not listed on the hospital census report, according to a hospital spokesperson.

Both vehicles were totaled in the 3:15 p.m. crash.

The crash was the second serious head-on crash in the Theodosia/Isabella area in less than a week. On Sunday, a 27-year-old father of three from Theodosia was killed in a head-on crash about three miles east of Isabella.

<p>Three people were injured in a two-vehicle head-on crash Tuesday afternoon near the Theodosia bridge.</p>