SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Numbers from the Springfield Police Department show fatal crashes are up compared to 2022. 

As of now, there have been 14 deaths from crashes. 

Darren Sullivan lost his father in one of those crashes in February. 

“I’m going to lose out on my best friend and all the calls I used to make to him and all the advice he’s been giving me over the years,” Darren Sullivan said. 

Samuel Sullivan was hit while riding his bike near National and Lakewood. 

“He was going to certainly outlive me. Very healthy and active guy, and my best friend. It has been very painful,” Darren Sullivan said. 

It’s not just family it affects, but friends too. 

Like Larry Martens, whose friend Bobby Jones died this year in a motorcycle crash. 

“He just stayed in the right lane and hit the curb and it threw him off the bike,” Martens said. 

Jones’ crash is one of four fatal motorcycle crashes this year. 

“He was probably the most selfless person I’ve ever met in my life. We were best friends for 29 years and he was considered family.” Martens added. 

Springfield police say the number of deaths so far is more than triple the number it was at this point in 2022. 

“This time last year, we were looking at about four fatalities involving motor vehicles, and right now we’re at 14,” said Cris Swaters, SPD’s Public Information Officer. 

Sullivan and Martens ask drivers to be more careful on the roads. 

“Put your cell phones down. Almost everybody that I go by, like in cars and I see them, everybody’s got their cell phones, texting, driving. It’s I mean, I almost get run off the road a lot of times,” Martens said. 

“I just can’t stress enough how important it is to pay attention and watch for pedestrians and cyclists,” Sullivan said. “It’s just it’s not only going to ruin the life of the person that gets hit, but everyone around that person is affected as well.”