Two Injured in Springfield Motorcycle Accident

Springfield, MOTwo drivers were injured in a recent Springfield motorcycle accident near Shell Knob in Barry County, reports the Joplin Globe.

Trevor C. Messbarger, 24, and Shane P. Fancher, 27, both of Cassville, Missouri, were reportedly taken to nearby St. John's Hospital in Cassville with moderate injuries, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The patrol said that Messbarger, traveling northbound on his motorcycle, struck southbound-heading Fancher's vehicle head-on, the news provider reports.

Messbarger was reportedly driving a 2005 Yamaha motorcycle while Fancher was driving a 2007 Honda, according to the patrol. The damage to the two vehicles was classified as minor, according to the patrol.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Web site, of all traffic crashes in Missouri in 2009, 1.6 percent involved motorcycles. In addition, a total of 85 people were killed and 2,182 were injured in motorcycle crashes in Missouri during 2009, according to the Web site.

Of the motorcyclists in 2009 crashes that wore a helmet, 27.5 percent were either killed or received a major injury, while 40.9 percent of those who did not wear a helmet were killed or suffered a major disabling injury, the Web site said.