Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog

Six people were sent to local area hospitals after a Lincoln County Missouri car accident on August 27, 2011 at 7:40 pm. The injured parties included two adults, three young teenagers, and a child. The injuries resulting from the Lincoln County Missouri car collision ranged from serious to minor.

The accident occurred as 19-year-old Angela S. Linhorst of Elsberry, Missouri drove through a stop sign on Highway 47 at Gravens. Linhorst drove a 1999 Ford Taurus into the intersection. In the intersection, the front of Linhorst’s vehicle slammed into the front end of a 2003 Ford F150 driven by James E. Koeneman of Winfield, Missouri. The Lincoln County Missouri front impact car accident totaled Linhorst’s Taurus and resulted in moderate damage to Koeneman’s F150.

Six people sustained physical injuries in the accident. Minor injuries were sustained by Linhorst and three of her occupants – Nichole Lindhorst, 13, Alex Schnieder, 10, Heather Schnieder, 15. Douglas J. Koeneman, a 30-year-old occupant in Koeneman’s F150, suffered moderate injuries. Abigail Schnieder, 13, suffered serious injuries and was sent to Children’s Hospital by Air Evac. The other injured parties were taken to St. Joseph West Hospital by Lincoln County Ambulance.

Running a stop sign involves a heightened risk of a Missouri stop sign car accident. Drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians reasonably assume that a vehicle nearing an intersection will stop at a traffic control device (e.g. stop sign, yield sign, etc.) if a traffic control device is present. If those drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians enter the intersection relying on that assumption and the vehicle disobeys the traffic control device, a serious Missouri car accident may result. The accident victims may be seriously injured.

Running a stop sign is a violation of Missouri traffic law. Missouri statute 304.271 requires that Missouri drivers obey traffic control devices: “The driver of any vehicle shall obey the instructions of any official traffic-control device applicable thereto placed in accordance with the provisions of the law.” If a driver violates this statute while causing a Missouri car accident, the statute violation may be used to prove negligence in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.

There are a few exemptions to Missouri’s traffic control device laws, but they do not apply to most Missouri stop sign car accidents. Drivers may disobey posted traffic control devices while they are being “directed by a traffic or police officer.” Traffic and police officers may direct traffic when a traffic light malfunctions. Traffic and police officers occasionally direct traffic against the traffic control devices when a special event creates an atypical amount of traffic. Another exemption only applies to drivers of “authorized emergency vehicle[s].”