Four Injured in Crash Near Iola

Four young people were injured in a SUV crash Tuesday night near Iola.

The crash occurred at 8:58pm when a SUV driven by 17-year-old Clayten Traub of Mason began skidding on gravel on Mockingbird Road, a quarter-mile southeast of Iola. The vehicle ran off the roadway to the left. State police report Traub oversteered, came back across the roadway, and ran off the right side of the roadway.

The vehicle struck a power pole, breaking the power pole in half, then began overturning. The vehicle came to rest on the passenger side in a field.

Police said Traub ended up in the front passenger seat when the vehicle came to rest. Three other occupants of the SUV were thrown from the vehicle into the field.

All four occupants were injured in the incident. Traub was taken to Clay County Hospital in Flora. As for the passengers, 18-year-old Trey Hawkey of Iola was airlifted to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, a 15-year-old boy from Iola was taken to Clay County Hospital in Flora, and a 15-year-old boy from Edgewood was taken by his parents to HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital in Effingham.

Traub was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid the crash, failure to wear a seat belt, and two counts of failure to secure a child under 16 years old.