Three inches of snow and freezing temperatures caused a number of slide-offs in Atchison County Wednesday morning, February 7, 2018, including one accident that left a Fairfax man with minor injuries. The accident occurred at 6:30 a.m. when Stuart G. Heck, 36, was driving a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix southbound on Hwy. 59 between Fairfax and Tarkio, Missouri. The vehicle traveled off the right side of the roadway, began to slide, and reentered the roadway. The Grand Prix then traveled off the east side of the roadway and across the intersection of  Route TT, striking a ditch and overturning, coming to rest on its top off the east side of the roadway.
Heck, who was wearing a seat belt, received minor injuries and was transported by private vehicle to Community Hospital-Fairfax. The Grand Prix was totaled and towed from the scene by Double M Towing. The accident was investigated by Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. M.R. Heits, who was assisted by the Atchison County Sheriff’s Department, the Fairfax Fire-First Responders, and Atchison-Holt Ambulance Service.