Robert Jefferson McDonald
Agency patch
Trooper

Robert Jefferson McDonald

Illinois State Police — Springfield, IL
Accident
End of Watch July 10, 1930
Age 34
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
The Vigil Panel 60 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Trooper Robert J. McDonald was killed in a motorcycle accident during a pursuit on Troy Road in Edwardsville. Trooper McDonald's motorcycle sideswiped another car as he was attempting to maneuver his motorcycle around another vehicle. He succumbed to his injuries while being transported to the hospital. Trooper McDonald served with the Illinois State Police for one year.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-8BA00E1B
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

You barely got started.
Trooper McDonald gave the Illinois State Police 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the people of Illinois. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper McDonald.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type State Police
Location Springfield, IL
Platform Identity ilsp.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 10, 1930
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 34
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Weapon Automobile

Trooper Robert Jefferson McDonald is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In IL, 354 of 1,318 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 26.9% of this state's fallen. That is 26.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Illinois State Police, 49 of 67 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 73.1% of this agency's fallen.

Illinois State Police
49
of 67 officers
73.1% Accident
IL — Statewide
354
of 1,318 officers
26.9% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Jefferson McDonald's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Robert Jefferson McDonald Compares

Age at Death
34
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
1
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Jefferson McDonald is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location