Photo courtesy of the Boone County Fire Protection District

A Jeep and a Honda Civic rest on the side of Route O yesterday after the two vehicles collided at about 3:30 p.m. The wreck killed Phillip Atchley, 16, of Rocheport.

Correction appended

A Hickman High School sophomore died yesterday afternoon in a two-vehicle collision in Boone County.

Atchley

Phillip J. Atchley, 16, of Rocheport was driving home from school on Route O when the accident occurred, his mother said this morning.

Christy Atchley described her son as a typical teenager who liked to chat online, play video games and hang out with his friends.

"He was very friendly, very social," she said. "Really liked his friends. Tried hard at school."

Christy Atchley said it was too early to share specific memories of her son. "It’s a big hole in our lives," she said. "It happened so quick and so easy. I don’t think we’ll ever be the same."

Feelings were similar at Hickman this morning, Assistant Principal Doug Mirts said. The school remembered Atchley with a moment of silence this morning, and counselors offered help to many grieving students, he said.

"We’re trying to deal with the kids’ needs," Mirts said. "Our counselors, they’re running around ragged trying to take care of the kids at school."

Mirts described Atchley as a good friend who knew a lot of other students. He also played soccer. "He was just a good, loving kid," he said. "He was a very outgoing person, so that makes things even more complex."

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Atchley was driving a Honda Civic at 3:23 p.m. northbound on Route O about a mile south of Kings Lane when he lost control of the vehicle and crossed the center line. A southbound Jeep struck the passenger side of the Honda.

Atchley was not wearing a seat belt, the highway patrol said.

Teylor V. Seever, 19, of Rocheport was the driver of the Jeep, the highway patrol said. He was in good condition today at University Hospital.

Christy Atchley said her son received his license in February and only drove to and from school. The site of the accident was less than a mile from the family’s home.

"I was a little worried, but I think any parent is worried when any of their children started driving," she said.

A paragraph in yesterday’s story about the death in a car crash Thursday of 16-year-old Phillip Atchley should have read:

Christy Atchley said it was too early to share specific memories of her son. "It’s a big hole in our lives," she said. "It happened so quick and so easy. I don’t think we’ll ever be the same."

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