MARIES COUNTY — Two people suffered moderate injuries in a Maries County traffic crash during Missouri’s 2026 Labor Day holiday.

The crash occurred at 1:20 p.m. Sept. 6 on Highway 133, two miles north of Dixon.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a southbound 2025 Polaris Ranger was making a right turn onto a county road when it was struck from behind by a southbound 2016 Ram 1500. The Polaris traveled off the right side of the roadway and struck a fence.

The 23-year-old Dixon man driving the Polaris and his passenger, a 24-year-old Westphalia woman, suffered moderate injuries. Both were transported by emergency medical personnel to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Jefferson City.

The driver of the Ram, a 22-year-old St. Robert, was not injured. The patrol reported that none of the three people was using a safety device.

The Ram sustained moderate damage and was towed by Anybody Towing. The Polaris also sustained moderate damage and was secured at the roadside.

Master Sgt. S.M. Blackston investigated the crash with assistance from Trooper C.L. Park.

The patrol’s online records listed no other injury crashes and no fatality crashes in Maries County during the holiday weekend.

Statewide, eight people died and 82 were injured in 213 traffic crashes during the 2026 Labor Day holiday counting period, according to preliminary statistics released by the patrol. Troopers also made 123 arrests for driving while intoxicated.

The counting period began at 6 p.m. Sept. 4 and ended at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 7 after the holiday.

The patrol’s online database primarily includes injury and fatality crashes investigated by troopers. It does not provide a complete count of property-damage-only crashes or crashes handled exclusively by county or municipal law enforcement agencies.

Statewide boating activity during the holiday period included nine crashes and one injury. No boating fatalities or drownings were reported. Troopers made five arrests for boating while intoxicated.

During the 2025 Labor Day counting period, the patrol investigated 252 traffic crashes involving four deaths and 123 injuries. Statewide figures for that period showed six people were killed and 423 were injured in 931 crashes. Nine boating crashes were investigated across Missouri during the 2025 holiday period.

The patrol cautioned that the 2026 figures remain preliminary. The fatality total could change if an injured person later dies or another law enforcement agency reports a fatal crash after the release of the initial statistics.