A motorcycle versus car accident early Saturday morning near Seneca cost the lives of two people, both from Neosho.
Rick Friend, 49, Neosho, was pronounced dead by Newton County Coroner Mark Bridges after his vehicle was struck in the drivers’ side by a motor sport bike handled by J.D. Weston, 22, also from Neosho.
Weston was also pronounced dead.
Friend’s wife, Loella Friend, was in the vehicle and is being treated for critical injuries, according to one unofficial source.
The official status of her condition could not be verified due to federal patient privacy laws.
The accident happened at the intersection of State Highway 43 and U.S. Highway 60. The Seneca Police Department worked the wreck but did not return a phone message seeking comment and to obtain the accident report.
No information is available from the Missouri State Highway Patrol website.
However, outside sources say that Weston was traveling south on Highway 43 while the Friend vehicle was eastbound on Highway 60 when the collision occurred shortly after 3 a.m. following Weston’s failure to yield for the flashing stop light. According to their respective obituaries, Friend was a night shift foreman at La-Z-Boy Midwest in Neosho while Weston owned and operated Weston Construction.
