Ice storm claims one life; several injured in accidents
An elderly Oronogo man was killed while clearing limbs at his home, and Carthage Water and Electric said it has answered about 1,500 calls for assistance as the area dug out from under a major ice storm late Monday.
Jasper County Coroner Jerry Neil said a 92-year-old Oronogo man was killed when he was hit in the head by a tree limb. Neil said he did not have any details about what the man was doing or how the accident happened, but he did say it was weather-related. Neil said he was withholding the name of the victim pending the notification of family.
Weather-related traffic accidents sent four Carthage residents and two Jasper residents to area hospitals Monday afternoon.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said an accident at 10:05 a.m. Monday on U.S. Highway 71, five miles south of Joplin sent Carthage residents Rosario M. Salvador, 23; and Linda Terino, 29 to the hospital. Carthage resident Raul F. Gonzales-Rodas, 48 was not injured in the accident.
Another accident, at 1:40 p.m. Monday on Civil War Road at Kafir Road, five miles north of Carthage injured Jonathan L. Gonzales, 26, Carthage; Lawrence M. Graham, 39, Jasper; Jase A. Hermann, 7, Carthage and Boud L. Sloan, 41, Jasper.
Carthage Fire Chief John Cooper said firefighters had been called out of the station more than 55 times on a variety of different kinds of calls. He said 45 of those calls required an entire crew to respond, while between 10 and 12 calls were handled by a single firefighter. The calls ranged from medical calls and reports of trees and power lines down to smoke in homes and a furnace on fire on Highland Street Shortly after 4 p.m. Monday.
Chuck Bryant, director of marketing and technical services with Carthage Water and Electric Plant, said the utility will have crews out overnight working to cut tree limbs and repair feeder lines.
"Our feeder lines have been a major issue today," Bryant said. "We'll work to reset some feeder lines in one part of the city, then something will happen to other lines as soon as we're done. We're just able to solve one problem in time to be called out to tackle another one."
Bryant said late Monday utility staff had answered more than 1,700 calls for service on Monday, and between 1,300 and 1,400 were calls from people without power.
Cooper said the warming shelter at the Fairview Christian Church on Grand Avenue was still open and will remain open all night if necessary.
Caroline Stinebrook, with the Red Cross, said as of 5:30 p.m., approximately 30 people were at the church, and about 10 volunteers were helping feed them and keep them comfortable.
Carthage Press