Belton High student dies in single-car crash near high school

BELTON, Mo. - Belton High School held a moment of silence Tuesday morning for a 17-year-old student who died just hours earlier in a single-vehicle accident near the school.

The accident happened at 4:42 a.m. in the 600 block of Lacy Lane, according to a Belton Police Department news release. Matthew Carr was heading southbound on Lacy when he struck a tree.

Investigators said speed appeared to have been a factor in the crash. Carr was not wearing his seatbelt, according to the statement from police.

The superintendent of the Belton School District said grief counselors were on hand for students affected by the tragedy.

The crash is the third motor vehicle wreck in the last five days to claim the life of an area teenager.

On Friday afternoon, 17-year-old Joseph Scott, of Oak Grove, died in a head-on crash on Mecklin School Road.

On Sunday morning, Tyler R. Rathbun, also 17, of Westwood, Kan., was killed when he was thrown from an ATV in rural Miami County .

The causes of all three crashes remained under investigation Tuesday morning.
 

View Larger Map