HERMANN — A Hermann man, 52, and a 65-year-old Hermann woman described as his “friend,” died Tuesday at noon in a high-speed crash into Frene Creek after striking several trees behind Hermann Lumber.

MSGT. Coby G. Holzschuh with the Missouri State Highway Patrol said witnesses told investigators the man was “excessively speeding” in a 2001 Hundai Santa Fe as he left the Missouri riverfront and drove south on Schiller Street. About 500 feet south of East Sixth Street, the vehicle went through an open gate and across a back lot at the lumber yard and hit the woodline. The car went through the tree line and slammed into the creek bank, overturning several times, ejecting the female.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene by Hermann ambulance personnel within 10 minutes of the crash being reported. Neither was wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP report. The Patrol’s Major Crash Unit conducted an investigation into the incident.

“He was accelerating the entire time,” he was traveling through the business district, Holzschuh told The Republican, citing reports from numerous witnesses.

Autopsies were expected to be conducted Friday at the Crawford County Coroner’s Office, according to Gasconade County Coroner Jeff Arnold. 

Neither of the victims have been identified publicly. Holzschuh said the man did not have immediate family in the area but a cousin had been located in Wisconsin. The woman had family in a neighboring county but was not originally from the immediate area.

MSHP no longer identifies those involved in motor vehicle crashes by policy.