COLUMBIA, Mo. — The state lawmaker known for her advocacy of school choice is currently hospitalized and in serious condition.
While driving to Jefferson City on Monday, Rep. Rebecca Roeber was involved in a two-car collision near Syracuse. The accident has the Lee’s Summit Republican looking at a long road to recovery.
According to the crash report, Roeber’s injuries were “serious” while the other driver involved in the collision had “minor” injuries. Both were taken by ambulance to the hospital.
“I encourage people to pray for her. She is in a bad spot, and she is going to be a sore lady for a while,” Sen. Mike Cierpiot told the Missouri Times.
One state senator actually came across the wreck, after the drivers were removed from the scene, as he was driving to the Capital. Sen. Denny Hoskins said it appeared to be “horrific wreck.”
“I am thankful both are still alive, and no one died,” said Hoskins.
“It’s terrible. Rebecca helped me when I first got elected…She is a friend at a personal level long before politics, and I am really sorry to about her wreck. The extent of her injuries, it is devastating. The good thing is, is that is doesn’t look like it is life-threatening. The bad thing is that she got a lot of injuries, a lot of damage, and it is going to take a long time for her to heal up,” said Cierpiot.
Roeber was first elected to the Missouri House in 2014 and was re-elected in 2016 and 2018. Each year in the legislature, the former teacher has advocated for expanding charter schools in order to improve the education landscape in the state.
The House version of charter school expansion, Roeber’s HB 581, was on the informal perfection calendar for several weeks before moving back to the perfection calendar on Monday.
“I think this year is going to be a struggle; she’ll probably return this year… she is not out by any stretch of the imagination. She will be back next year and hopefully better than ever,” said Cierpiot. “As a lawmaker, she is very effective…She knows what she is talking about when she is talking about education. She has taken her lumps on the issue, her heart is in the right place — trying to do something to help kids.”
House leadership declined to comment for the privacy of the family.
Alisha Shurr was a reporter for The Missouri Times and The Missouri Times Magazine. She joined The Missouri Times in January 2018 after working as a copy editor for her hometown newspaper in Southern Oregon. Alisha is a graduate of Kansas State University.
