PLATTE COUNTY—Authorities investigating a fatal weekend accident have identified the victims as 37-year-old Howard Alden of Salina and 14-year-old Kenneth Powell, according to Major Erik Holland with the Platte County Missouri Sheriff's Department.
According to the sheriff, just before 10a.m. Sunday, a 2003 Chrysler Town and Country driven by Alden was westbound on 92 Highway near Highway B.
The vehicle traveled off the shoulder and the driver overcorrected. The van crossed into the eastbound lanes and struck a 2021 Ford Edge driven by a 67-year-old Mary Miller from Platte City.
Alden and Powell were pronounced dead at the scene. EMS transported two other passengers in the van, a six-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl, to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Miller was also hospitalized for treatment of moderate injuries, according to the sheriff's department.
Preliminary investigation indicated that alcohol may be a factor in the crash. The deceased occupants of the Chrysler minivan were not restrained, according Sheriff Mark Owen. The crash remains under investigation.