Ava Man Seriously Injured In Crash South of Houston

Joshua D. Swainston, 37, of Ava, was seriously injured in a one-vehicle motor vehicle crash south of Houston, in Texas County, Monday morning. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Swainston was a passenger in a 2000 Dodge Ram driven by John G. Swainston, 56, of Ava. The vehicle was traveling south on U.S. 63, seven miles south of Houston, when it ran off the roadway and hit a tree at 6:10 a.m. Joshua Swainston was taken by ambulance to Texas County Memorial Hospital, Houston. John Swainston was wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred but Joshua Swainston was not, according to the report filed by MSgt. D.B. Pounds of the Highway Patrol. Two people suffered moderate injuries in an ATV crash in the Dora area on June 12. The Highway Patrol reported that William S. Russell, 36, of Drury, was operating the 2007 Suzuki when it ran off Highway 14, eight miles northwest of Dora in Douglas County, and hit a tree. The crash occurred at 9 p.m., according to the Troop G report. Russell was taken by ambulance to Ozarks Medical Center in West Plains with moderate injuries. Also injured was a passenger, Brittany N. Birdsong, 23, of Springfield. She also suffered moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to Cox South Hospital in Springfield. Neither Russell nor Birdsong was wearing safety devices when the crash occurred, according to the report filed by Cpl. Jim Britt of the Missouri Highway Patrol.