Three injured after Missouri man runs red light
Three people were injured, two seriously, after a two-car crash in Jefferson County, Missouri on Sunday.
The accident occurred at the intersection of Highway 30 and Little Brennan Road near Murphy, Missouri. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the crash happened when Rafal Pryk, 32, drove his 2001 Mercedes ML320 through a red traffic signal. As he did so, he broadsided a 1998 Saturn that was also entering the intersection.
Joey Freeman, 44, and Que Huynh, 44, were passengers in the Saturn and were seriously injured. They were taken to St. Anthony’s Medical Center for emergency treatment. Pryk’s injuries were minor, but he also sought treatment at St. Anthony’s.
All three people involved were wearing seatbelts.
This case is a clear example of how dangerous broadside collisions, also called side impact crashes, can be. Modern cars have lots of protective barriers if the impact comes from the front of a vehicle. Missouri drivers sustain injury more commonly and more severely from side impacts since there are less safety measures to protect passengers.
The investigating officer noted that the Pryk ran a red light, though he did not say if he issued a citation. If a Missouri personal injury lawyer is called in to investigate this case, he will have to make sure that Pryk did indeed run a red light and that the light was operational at the time of the crash. In some rare occasions, lights can malfunction sending the wrong signal to drivers thus causing an accident. Contacting a car accident attorney and getting the light inspected as soon as possible is the best way to make sure of the light’s functionality at the time of the crash.
1,000 people are killed each year and another 90,000 are injured as a result of drivers running red lights.
