Moberly teacher among three killed in Highway 63 crashes


COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Moberly middle school teacher was one of the three people who died on Highway 63 in Boone County on Thursday.
Moberly School District Superintendent Cristina Wright wrote in a letter to Moberly school families that Ashley Apel was killed in one of the crashes.
Apel was in a vehicle that was in a crash on Highway 63 near Breedlove Drive. The vehicle was stopped in traffic because of another crash when a Jeep rear-ended it, killing her. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.
Three other teachers in the vehicle were injured, the school district wrote.
Apel's vehicle was in a line of traffic after authorities closed Highway 63 north of Highway 124 for an earlier crash. Two people died in that crash when one vehicle hit another head-on. A 55-year-old Moberly man's vehicle crossed the center line and hit a vehicle driven by a 32-year-old Centralia man, the patrol reported.
Wright wrote to families that counseling services will be available for students and staff and that community organizations and churches have offered to help with grief counseling.
The City of Moberly wrote on its social media that Apel served on the Historic Preservation Commission.
"Her passion for history and dedication to preserving the rich heritage of Moberly made a lasting impact on those that worked with her," the post said.
A celebration of life for Apel will be held at 5 p.m. Monday at the Performing Arts Center at Moberly High School, the Moberly School District wrote on its social media Friday evening.
The highway patrol no longer names crash victims so the names of the other people who died have not been released.