Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog

A St. Louis woman died in a St. Louis County Missouri car accident on northbound I-55 near Union Road. The St. Louis front impact car accident occurred on May 14, 2011 at 11:50pm.

Hai M. Pham, 46, drove the wrong way on northbound I-55 in a 2006 Toyota Sienna into oncoming traffic late Saturday night. Pham crashed head on into a 2000 Toyota Camry driven by John D. Casalone, 51.

Casalone died in the St. Louis Missouri front end collision. Casalone’s fatality was pronounced at the scene of the accident by Brian Torno of the Mehlville Fire Department near midnight. Casalone’s next of kin has been notified. Pham was seriously injured in the St. Louis Missouri front end accident. He was taken to St. Anthony’s Medical Center by Lemay ambulance. Neither of the men wore a safety device during the accident.

When a fatal car accident is caused by carelessness or misconduct, the accident victim’s family can file a successful wrongful death claim. Missouri wrongful death law creates classes of relatives who can bring a wrongful death suit for compensation. Class (1) is comprised of the spouses, the children, the lineal descendants such as grandchildren, and the parents of the deceased accident victim. Class (1) family members are the first relatives entitled to compensation after a wrongful death. If there are no class (1) relatives, then class (2) relatives may be entitled to compensation. Class (2) includes the deceased’s brothers and sisters and their descendants.

Relatives may recover compensation for funeral expenses, medical bills, and the pain and suffering that the deceased endured from the onset of the accident until death. The family members of the accident victim may additionally recover the reasonable value of services, consortium, companionship and support that the deceased provided. Missouri wrongful death law is complex. Experienced legal representation is critical obtaining compensation after a loved one dies in an accident caused by carelessness.