LINCOLN COUNTY – It took nearly 11 months and 3.5 inches of snow to cause a fatal accident involving an automobile on a Lincoln County highway.

Saturday morning, as the first snow of the season created treacherous driving conditions throughout the area, a Winfield man was killed in a head-on collision on Highway 79.

The 75-year-old man was a passenger in a 2024 Hyundai Venue heading south on Highway 79 when a 2006 Pontiac G6, driven by a 19-year-old Elsberry man, crossed the centerline and into the front of the Hyundai.

The accident occurred at 10:15 a.m. and after being taken to an SSM hospital in St. Louis, the Winfield man was pronounced dead at 3:58 p.m.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, all parties involved in the accident were wearing a seat belt.

While this marks the first fatality involving an automobile, it’s the fifth fatality overall in the county in 2024. Three motorcyclists were killed in separate accidents from April 8 to May 3 and a fourth individual was killed in an ATV accident May 11 on private property.

The five total fatalities is significantly lower than the record 19 reported in 2023.