Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog

Steven and Tina Johnson, 40 and 39, were hospitalized Saturday after the Harley Davidson motorcycle they were riding on crashed into a 1995 Buick LeSabre that was pulling out of a private drive in St. Louis County.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s investigating officer, Daniel Witte, 63, was pulling the Buick out of a private driveway onto Highway F near Lake Tickawatha. The Johnsons were riding their motorcycle southbound on Highway F and Steven Johnson tried to stop before hitting the car. He applied the brakes, but was unable to stop the bike from sliding into the car.

Tina Johnson was flown to St. John’s Mercy Hospital with serious injures. Steven Johnson was also taken to St. John’s, but he was transported by ambulance with more moderate injuries. Witte was uninjured.

The task now for authorities and for a personal injury attorney will be to investigate the scene and determine who is at fault for this accident. The initial crash report lays out the basic information, but leaves out some vital details like how fast the Johnson’s were going on their motorcycle.

If Witte was inattentive and pulled his car out directly in front of the Johnsons, he may be liable for damages and the Johnsons may be able to recover their medical fees. An investigation into this injury accident may also show that Steven Johnson was driving the bike too fast and was the one more at fault for the wreck.

One way that investigators and a motorcycle accident lawyer can get this information is by performing an accident reconstruction. By looking at the skid marks on the road and the debris patterns, experts can pretty accurately determine the speeds of both vehicles and how much time Steven Johnson had to react to Witte’s car coming into the roadway.