Driver dies in crash; speed cited as factor

By the Tribune’ staff

Published Friday, March 9, 2007

Authorities say speed contributed to a crash yesterday that killed a 24-year-old man after the car he was driving struck a tree south of Columbia.

Stevon D. Hall of Columbia was driving an Oldsmobile Aurora southbound at about 2:15 a.m. in the 5500 block of Bethel Church Road when he lost control, according to a news release from the Boone County Sheriff’s Department.

The vehicle left the roadway and struck the tree broadside, rolling over it and crushing the roof, the news release said. The car’s damage suggested that speed contributed to the crash. The cause of death was determined as blunt trauma to the head and chest, the news release said. Hall was not wearing a seat belt.

Hall worked as a claims representative for State Farm Insurance Cos. in Columbia. A spokeswoman for the company declined to comment this morning, citing the company’s privacy policy.