Arkansas woman dead, Palmyra teenager seriously injured in head-on collision on U.S. 61

PALMYRA, Mo. — An Arkansas woman is dead and a Palmyra teenager is in serious condition after a crash on U.S. 61 Monday night five miles north of Hannibal.

A report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol shows a 2023 Mazda, driven by Lori Cumpston, 51, of Fayetteville, Ark., was going to the wrong way on U.S. 61. The 2023 Mazda struck a 2005 Mercury Grand Marquis, driven by a male teenager, head on at approximately 11:35 p.m.

Cumpston was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:55 p.m. by Marion County Coroner Rick Jones.

The teenager was transported by Survival Flight to University Hospital in Columbia, Mo. The MSHP report listed his injuries as serious. The name of the teenager has not yet been made public.

The MSHP was assisted by the Major Crash Investigation Unit, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Marion County Ambulance and the Palmyra Fire Department.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The description of the accident was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.