Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog

A near-miss at an entrance ramp eventually did result a Missouri car wreck when two vehicle crashed on Highway 50 in Cole County.

Christopher Guinther, 40, was heading eastbound on Highway 50 in a 2000 Chevrolet truck when a FedEx truck attempted to merge ahead of him. According to the initial crash report, Guinther swerved to miss the FedEx truck and ended up in the northbound lane of Route U. Theresa Loschky, 42, was driving on Route U at the time and was unable to avoid the collision with Guinther's truck.

Both Guinther and Loschky suffered serious injuries and were taken by ambulance to Capital Region Hospital for treatment. No information was listed about the FedEx truck or its driver.

More investigation will be needed to determine any liability issues around this Missouri injury accident. If the FedEx truck driver made an negligent maneuver in trying to merge, he or she could be found at least partially responsible for the damages caused. In a car wreck, you don't necessarily need to actually collide with another vehicle to be held responsible. For instance, if you run a red light causing other vehicles to swerve and miss your car, you may be liable for damage they sustain while avoiding you.

Since car accident claims can become very complicated, it is important to have good legal advice from an experienced Missouri personal injury attorney. Most offer free consultations where you can discuss your case and get advice on protecting your legal rights as an accident victim.

Posted by Ryan Bradley | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Choosing a Personal Injury Lawyer , Missouri Car Accidents , Personal Injury News

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Two Missouri car accidents left a number of people hospitalized with serious injuries on Monday. The first was an early morning accident involving teenagers on Highway 160 and the second was a chain reaction collision later in the afternoon on I-55.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Highway 160 accident occurred around 12:40 a.m. as John Coleman, 20, attempted to cross the highway in his 2005 Jeep. The investigating officer said he failed to yield to traffic and pulled into the path of a 2000 Pontiac, driven by Rachel Savage, 18. Savage was unable to avoid the collision and slammed into the side of Coleman's Jeep.

Savage and one of her passengers, Kylie Davolt, 17, sustained minor injuries, but another passenger, Danielle Foster, 17, wasn't so lucky. Foster's injuries were described as serious and she was rushed to Cox South Hospital for emergency treatment. Coleman was not listed on the injury report.

At around 3:30 p.m., another person was injured in a Missouri car crash when three cars collided on I-55. The three vehicles were slowing for traffic congestion when the third vehicle in line, a 2002 Oldsmobile Alero driven by Justin Ruessler, 24, rear-ended the second vehicle, a 1992 GMC Sonoma driven by Keith Donachy, 41. The impact of the collision sent Donachy's vehicle into the third car.

Donachy was taken to Perryville Memorial Hospital for treatment. He was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, according to the investigating officer.

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Posted In: Missouri Car Accidents

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Two area drivers were hospitalized after being injured in a car accident on I-270 near the junction with I-70.

The drivers involved were Robert Matsko, 20, and Bobbie Cole, 33, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Matsko was driving a 2000 Ford Contour and Cole was driving a 2011 Kia Sorento. Both drivers were heading southbound in one of the middle lanes and attempted to merge into the same lane at the same time. Matsko's car hit the rear of Cole's causing both drivers to lose control of their vehicles. Cole's car actually overturned after the initial impact.

Cole was seriously injured and taken to St. John's Mercy Medical Center for emergency treatment. Matsko was also taken to St. John's, though his injuries were less serious. Both drivers were wearing a seat belt at the time of this St. Louis area car crash.

Neither driver was insured, according to the initial report, but no citations were listed on the report.

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Posted In: Missouri Car Accidents

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Carolyn Flynn, 38, was killed and a man riding with her was injured after a Missouri car wreck on Route J in Morgan County.

The accident took place around 1:16 p.m. at the intersection of Route J and Webb Road. According to the investigating officer, Flynn was driving a 2000 Chevrolet eastbound with a man named Todd Stenzel, 47. Another vehicle, a 2010 Ford driven by William Donnelly, 67, was heading westbound toward Flynn's vehicle. For an unexplained reason, Donnelly's vehicle crossed the center line and struck Flynn's vehicle, forcing is off the side of the road where it overturned and came to a rest in a ditch.

Flynn was pronounced dead at the scene. Stenzel was taken by ambulance for emergency treatment. Donnelly was not listed as injured on the initial crash report.

Neither Flynn nor Stenzel was wearing a seat belt at the time of this deadly Missouri traffic accident.

Whenever there is a fatality in an accident like this, additional investigation is supposed to follow, including an accident reconstruction and alcohol testing for the drivers involved. Insurance companies will also get involved to determine what they will be paying out to cover damages and, many times, they will be looking to reduce the amount they owe to the injured parties. Because of all the complicated legal and financial issues involved, it benefits anyone involved in a serious accident to contact an experienced Missouri personal injury attorney to discuss you rights as an accident victim.

Posted by Ryan Bradley | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Choosing a Personal Injury Lawyer , Missouri Car Accidents , Personal Injury News

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Evert Branch, 63, was seriously injured in a Missouri motorcycle accident on Highway 54 in Cole County.

Branch was heading westbound on his 1997 Honda Motorcycle when the accident occurred, according to the investigating trooper from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Also heading westbound just ahead of Branch was Cole County Sheriff's Deputy Justin Rollins, 27. Rollins received a call to respond to a possible domestic violence incident when he turned abruptly in front of Branch's motorcycle. Branch was unable to avoid the collision and hit the side of the patrol car, ejecting him from the bike.

Branch was airlifted to University Hospital in Columbia with serious injuries. Rollins was uninjured.

According to a Jefferson City News Tribune report, Rollins had not turned on his lights or sirens. There is no indication he was speeding, though an investigation into this Mid-Missouri motorcycle crash is still ongoing and a full accident reconstruction has yet to be performed.

Rollins has been placed on administrative leave while a standard internal investigation is being conducted. It could be a couple weeks before all the details of the investigation are released.

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Posted In: Missouri Motorcycle Accidents

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Photo by Houston Herald

Stephen Thompson, 61, was killed and another man, Douglas County Deputy Steven Zehner, 29, was seriously injured when the county patrol vehicle they were riding in was struck by a trailer that had separated from a pickup.

According to the officials with the Missouri State Highway Patrol and local media outlets, Thompson was an inmate being transported by Zehner on Highway 63 when the fatal Missouri car accident occurred. A northbound pickup, driven by Gary Miller, 65, was pulling a trailer unit that drifted across the center line of the highway. It collided with a southbound tractor trailer and another pickup before being pulled from Miller's truck. The towed unit continued into the southbound lanes where it slammed into Zehner's car.

Thompson was pronounced dead at the scene. Zehner was taken by ambulance for emergency treatment at a local hospital. Both were wearing seatbelts.

No other drivers were listed as injured, according to the initial crash report of this Missouri trailer accident. All drivers were tested for alcohol in accordance with the law.

Trailer accidents claim 400 to 500 lives across the country each year. The most common trailer accident occurs when a trailer is not properly hitched and drifts away from the towing vehicle. At high speeds, trailer units can be deadly obstacles as we were tragically reminded by this latest accident on Highway 63. Other accidents are caused when the weight of trailer catches the driver off-guard and he or she is unable to brake in time to avoid a collision.

In response to the number of trailer accidents, several states have modified their laws to make trailer regulations stricter. According to a USA Today report, the state of Virginia has recently passed one such law and other states, including Alabama, Hawaii, Louisiana and Tennessee, have measures being considered by state legislators.

Posted by Ryan Bradley | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Missouri Car Accidents , Missouri Trucking Accidents , Personal Injury News , Wrongful Death Lawsuits

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Over the the last week, you may have noticed some new anti-texting signs or logos getting posted around the state. That's because the Missouri State Highway Patrol, along with various other public departments and private sponsors, has begun a new public awareness ad campaign aimed at reducing distracted driving, specifically targeting texting.

The campaign logo will be popping up on billboards and on decals that you can stick to your car. It will also be seen on cars at Gateway International Speedway races.

Missouri has already banned texting while driving for people under the age of 21 and this ban will be strictly enforced over the coming weeks. While this law is aimed at younger drivers, campaign organizers hope that drivers of any age will heed the warnings and not engage in negligently distracting activities that could result in serious car crash injuries or fatalities.

Officials with the Highway Patrol say the new campaign is important because distracted driving is at least partially responsible for one-in-four Missouri car accidents.

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Posted In: Missouri Car Accidents , Missouri Legislative News , Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer News

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Lynn Fraker, 54, of North Liberty, Iowa, was killed and nine others were injured in a Missouri car accident on Highway 54.

The accident occurred shortly after 2 p.m. when a 1998 Pontiac, driven by Charles Howdeshell, 50, attempted to pass a 2004 Mazda, driven by Douglas Hill, 50. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Howdeshell's car struck Hill's causing in to swerve out of control. The Mazda then crossed over into oncoming traffic where it collided head-on with a 2008 Chevrolet, driven by Robert Becker, 50.

Fraker, who was riding in the Mazda, was pronounced dead at the scene. Three other people in her vehicle, including Hill, were seriously injured by the car crash and taken to local hospitals. Becker was accompanied by four members of his family in the Chevrolet, all of whom suffered substantial injuries.

The investigating officer didn't specify what caused Howdeshell's car to hit Hill's to trigger the accident. No citations were indicated on the initial crash report.

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Posted In: Missouri Car Accidents

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One man was injured in a Missouri plane crash involving an agricultural aircraft in Chillicothe.

The pilot, whose name has not yet been released, was able to walk to a farmhouse and call for help after his plane crashed just outside the municipal airport of Chillicothe. He was just taking off in a G-164 biplane when he encountered problems and crashed the plane upside-down in a field.

The pilot was taken to the hospital but his injuries were not considered life threatening.

No word yet on what caused this Missouri airplane injury accident.

Earlier this year in Arizona, there was another crash involving a G-164 which had problems during takeoff. In that case, the NTSB concluded that a power failure kept the plane from gaining altitude and it ran off the end of the runway.

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Posted In: Missouri Airplane Crashes

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Five people were injured, three seriously, in a Missouri car accident involving three separate vehicles in St. Genevieve County.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the accident occurred on Route F just after 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Two vehicles, a 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier and a 2006 Chevrolet Silverado, were traveling westbound while a third vehicle, a 2006 Ford F150, was heading eastbound. The Cavalier, driven by Michael Kerrigan, 31, crossed the center line of the roadway and struck the F150 pickup nearly head-on. After the initial collision, the pickup continued down the roadway where it also crossed the center line to slam head-on into the Silverado.

Three people were seriously injured in this St. Louis area car crash: Karri Donze, 34, and Shawn Merritt, 34, who were riding in the Silverado and Larry Mahaney, 30, who was driving the F150. Two others sustained less serious injuries.

The cause of the crash is still unknown. The initial report doesn't indicate what could have caused Kerrigan to lose control of his vehicle and cross the center line.

Our thoughts are with those injured in this accident and hopefully all will make a full recovery.

Car accidents can quickly become complicated from a legal point of view, especially when multiple collisions are involved. Anybody injured on the roadway should consider contacting a St. Louis personal injury attorney to discuss their legal rights and make sure they give themselves the best chance to make a recovery.

Posted by Ryan Bradley | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Choosing a Personal Injury Lawyer , Missouri Car Accidents , Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer News

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In all the recent news about texting bans, the dangers of hands free devices might be getting lost in the background noise. Just because you can keep both hands on the steering wheel, talking with a hands free device has been shown to still increase the risk of a serious car accident.

Studies have repeatedly shown that talking on the phone, hands free or not, decreases your ability to react to changing road conditions. Participants in one study were, on average, more than 100 milliseconds delayed in responding to sudden obstacles behind the wheel. That small difference in reaction time translates to about 10 - 20 feet in stopping distance for a car traveling at highway speeds.

Scientists say that the reason for the decrease is simply that the brain isn't as good at multi-tasking as many people think. The brain can only process a certain amount of information presented to it at once and performing tasks requiring concentration, like carrying a phone conversation, can interfere with processing road conditions.

There's even a difference between a conversation on the phone and one with a passenger in the car. Researchers are divided on the explanation, but numerous experiments have shown talking on a cell phone is more distracting and impairing than talking with a passenger in the car. A driver on the phone is four times more likely to make an avoidable driving error, like missing an exit, than a driver conversing with passengers. One possible explanation is that the passenger is also paying attention to the road and the flow of the conversation synchronizes with the flow of the drive with lulls during tricky driving maneuvers.

Some distractions are unavoidable, but the most important thing to remember is to respect the extent that these distractions impair your driving. Distracted driving is a major cause of car accidents in Missouri and hopefully with more education on the subject we can limit the number of avoidable tragedies.

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Posted In: Missouri Car Accidents

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Casey Bain, 25, was killed and another four people were seriously injured in a Missouri car accident that took place on Route B in St. Clair County.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the accident took place just before 8 p.m. near the town of Rockville. The two vehicles involved, a 2005 Ford Pickup and a 1990 Chevrolet Pickup, were both approaching the same intersection from different directions. According to the investigating officer, Benjamin Balthrope, 30, the driver of the northbound Chevy pickup, failed to stop at a stop sign. Michael Durst, 54, who was behind of the wheel of the westbound Ford pickup, was unable to avoid a collision and slammed his truck into the side of Balthrope's.

Bain was pronounced dead at the scene. Balthrope, Durst, and two passengers in Durst's truck were all taken to local hospitals with serious and potentially life-threatening injuries.

According to the initial crash report, most of the people involved were not wearing a seat belt at the time of this Missouri injury accident.

The drivers were both tested for alcohol in accordance with Missouri law. Balthrope was listed as driving uninsured, though no citation was indicated on the initial report.

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Posted In: Missouri Car Accidents

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