Eight Injured In Boat Crash On Meramec River

Eight people, including four children, were injured Sunday afternoon when a boat struck an underwater rock and drifted into a rock bluff on the Meramec River in Crawford County.

The crash occurred at approximately 2 p.m. July 19 about two miles upstream from Campbell Bridge, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The patrol reported that a 2019 Shoal Runner was traveling eastbound when it struck an underwater rock. The impact caused the vessel to drift into and strike the bluff.

A 30-year-old Dittmer woman suffered serious injuries. A 30-year-old Dittmer man and a 35-year-old Bourbon man suffered moderate injuries.

The boat’s driver, a 34-year-old St. Louis man, suffered minor injuries.

Four children also suffered minor injuries: a 3-year-old St. Louis girl, a 9-year-old Dittmer boy, a 10-year-old St. Louis boy and a 12-year-old Bourbon boy.

All eight people were transported to Missouri Baptist Hospital in Sullivan by North Crawford Ambulance District or Missouri Baptist Ambulance.

The four children were wearing safety devices at the time of the crash, according to the patrol. The four adults were not wearing safety devices.