Centralia woman dies after rear-ending driver on Hwy. 22

A Centralia woman died in a car crash Friday night, Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

According to the online crash report, the driver of a Ford Expedition was stopped in traffic when another driver, Victoria Roberts, 62, rear-ended the SUV.

Troopers responded to the scene on Highway 22 near Route NN around 7 p.m.

Roberts was flown to University Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, the report said.

The report said Roberts was not wearing a seat belt.

The Highway Patrol has increased patrols for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend as a part of Operation C.A.R.E., crash awareness and reduction effort.

Troopers are being stationed every 20 miles along major highways, such as I-70 and Highway 63.

Troopers will be aggressively enforcing traffic laws, hoping to reduce the amount of crashes, troopers said. They’ll be available to help motorists with any emergency or issue on the roadway, such as repairing a flat tire.

Troopers have responded to more than 50 crashes across the state since the increased patrols started Wednesday afternoon, according to online MSHP records.

The fatal crash was one of at least five across the state since Wednesday, according to crash reports. It’s Troop F’s third fatal crash for the month of November.