LEBANON, MO — Two drivers were killed Thursday morning in a three-vehicle crash on Highway 5 near Kingsbrook Road, about a mile north of Lebanon in Laclede County. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the collision happened at 7:01 a.m. on Oct. 22, 2026, and involved a southbound Kia Forte and two northbound pickups.
According to investigators, the Kia crossed the center of the roadway before sideswiping a Ford F-150 and then hitting a Toyota Tacoma head-on. The driver of the Kia, a 41-year-old Springfield man, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Toyota, a 31-year-old Lebanon woman, later died at Mercy Hospital in Lebanon.
How the collision unfolded on Highway Five
The Highway Patrol said the Kia Forte was traveling south when it moved across the centerline. The first impact came when the car sideswiped a northbound 2019 Ford F-150 driven by a 69-year-old Stoutland man.
After striking the Ford, the Kia continued across the highway and collided head-on with a northbound 2018 Toyota Tacoma. That truck was driven by the Lebanon woman who later died of her injuries. The sequence of impacts left the southbound car and the Toyota totaled, while the Ford sustained moderate damage.
Victims were pronounced dead shortly after the crash
Emergency responders pronounced the Springfield man dead at the crash scene at 7:25 a.m., about two dozen minutes after the collision, according to the Highway Patrol. The Lebanon woman was taken by Mercy Ambulance to Mercy Hospital in Lebanon, where she was pronounced dead at 8:12 a.m.
The Ford driver did not suffer injuries, the patrol said. All three drivers were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, investigators reported. No other injuries were listed in the crash summary.
Roadway response and vehicle recovery at the scene
All three vehicles were removed from the crash scene by C&S Towing after the wreck. The Kia Forte and Toyota Tacoma were declared totaled, while the Ford F-150 was left with moderate damage.
The crash shut down a portion of Highway 5 long enough for investigators and local responders to work the scene. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the Lebanon Rural Fire Department and the Laclede County Sheriff’s Office helped at the scene, along with multiple troopers and supervisors.
Highway Patrol investigators assigned to the case
Trooper R.K. Evans and Master Sergeant P.W. Meyers of the Highway Patrol’s Major Crash Investigation Unit are investigating the collision. They were assisted by Corporal B.J. Blankenbeker, Master Sergeant S.R. House, Master Sergeant S.W. Cunningham, Trooper M.A. Martin and Trooper M.J. Hickman.
The patrol’s crash summary did not say whether speed, distraction or another factor contributed to the Kia crossing the centerline. It did identify the crash as a major collision requiring specialized investigators, which is standard when fatalities occur on Missouri highways.
Fatality totals add to a difficult month for Troop I
The two deaths were the fifth and sixth traffic fatalities investigated by Troop I in October, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. They were also the 34th and 35th fatalities the troop has investigated in 2026.
Those totals show how frequently Troop I has been responding to deadly crashes this year across its region. For Lebanon-area drivers, the collision added another pair of deaths to a roadway that already saw a serious morning wreck before the day had fully begun.
