GASCONADE COUNTY — Eight people were killed and 82 were injured in traffic crashes during Missouri’s 2026 Labor Day holiday counting period, according to preliminary statistics from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The counting period began at 6 p.m. Sept. 4 and ended at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 7, the end of the holiday weekend.

The patrol reported 213 traffic crashes during the period. Troopers made 123 arrests for driving while intoxicated.

No injury or fatality crashes were listed for Gasconade County in the patrol’s online records during the four-day counting period.

The online database primarily includes injury and fatality crashes investigated by troopers. It does not provide a complete count of property-damage-only crashes or crashes handled exclusively by county or municipal law enforcement agencies.

Nine boating crashes resulting in one injury were reported across Missouri during the holiday period. No boating fatalities or drownings were recorded. Troopers made five arrests for boating while intoxicated.

During the 2025 Labor Day counting period, the patrol investigated 252 traffic crashes involving four fatalities and 123 injuries. Statewide figures for that period showed six people died and 423 were injured in 931 crashes. Nine boating crashes were investigated across Missouri during the 2025 holiday period.

The patrol said this year’s figures are preliminary. The fatality total could change if an injured person later dies or another law enforcement agency reports a fatal crash after the preliminary statistics were released.