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The Adair County coroner's office on Monday identified the man as Benjamin Hayes, 43, of Wentzville.

Hayes' 16-year-old son, Max Hayes, was also fatally injured in the crash, according to a social media post by a Wentzville school .

Max and Ben Hayes died after the Toyota Corolla they were riding in was hit head-on by a Jeep Wrangler going the wrong way on Highway 11. 

The crash was about 12:15 p.m. Friday west of Kirksville in north central Missouri.

The Missouri Highway Patrol refused to release the names of anyone in in the crash.

No charges had been filed against the Jeep's driver, as of Wednesday. The patrol said investigators from the crash-reconstruction team are still pulling together information about how the crash happened. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ will then present their evidence to the Adair County prosecutor.

Max died at a hospital in Columbia, Missouri. Family and friends lined a hallway at the hospital for an in tribute to Max before his organs were donated. 

The driver of the Toyota, a 43-year-old woman from Wentzville, was taken to the same hospital with a moderate injury. Friends of the Hayes family said the woman is the mother of Max.

The man driving the Jeep was taken to the hospital with a serious injury, the patrol said. He is 27 and from Kirksville.

Dispatchers said the Jeep was on fire after the crash and the Jeep's driver was able to get out on his own.

All three members of the Hayes family were wearing seat belts, the patrol said. The man driving the Jeep was not.

Patrol Sgt. Justin Dunn said investigators know the Jeep that caused the crash was in the oncoming lane because a truck nearby with a dashboard camera recorded the crash.

Fatal crashes statewide so far this year are down 1 percent over this time last year, Dunn said. As of Tuesday, 502 have died this year in vehicle crashes in Missouri. The same time last year, there were 511 deaths.

In all of 2022, Missouri had 1,057 deaths in traffic crashes. In 2023, there were 991. In 2024, there were 955 deaths.