Nine Year Old Sustains Minor Injuries in Clay County Car Accident
A nine-year old Kansas City, Missouri male sustained minor injuries in a car accident that occurred on Interstate 35 in Clay County. The accident occurred on June 7, 2012 at 1:08pm.
Misty L. Vaughn of Kansas City, Missouri was driving northbound on I-35 shortly before the accident. Vaughn was also traveling with Kwintin L. Cook, a nine-year old Kansas City, Missouri resident. Braiden M. Vanbrunt of Cameron, Missouri was also driving northbound before the accident occurred. Vaughn ended up slowing down her vehicle due to the amount of traffic that was on I-35. For unknown reasons, Vanbrunt attempted to overtake traffic and subsequently struck Vaughn’s vehicle. Vanbrunt’s vehicle sustained minor damage while Vaughn’s vehicle sustained moderate damage. All parties had their safety devices and seat belts activated.
Missouri State Highway Patrol notes that an investigation in the accident is ongoing and that charges are pending. When Highway Patrol determined that Cook was injured in the accident, he was transported to Liberty Hospital in Liberty, Missouri by Kearney EMS.
Overtaking a vehicle on a highway is often a risky maneuver when done improperly. Agencies such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have repeatedly mentioned that hasty overtaking and passing of vehicles could be considered “aggressive driving.” This fashion of driving is often dangerous, as it often disregards basic Missouri rules of the road and greatly increases the possibility of creating a Missouri car accident. In the scenario where an aggressive driver is faced with slow traffic, this could give rise to “road rage” which will greatly impair a driver’s ability to drive in a careful and prudent manner. On busy or fast traffic roads, this kind of driving can become a great threat to all motorists and passengers on the road.
Missouri statute § 304.016 also requires that drivers that want to overtake a vehicle on the highway needs to pass to the left of those vehicles. However, merely passing a vehicle on a left-hand side is not enough. A driver needs to make sure that all other vehicles are of a safe distance during the overtaking so that a car accident does not occur. A driver can do this by making their intentions clear through signals and blinkers, maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles on the road, and only try to overtake a vehicle when the driver has absolutely determined that it is safe to do so. Attempting to overtake vehicles in the middle of traffic is an extraordinarily dangerous move. Vehicles in traffic will often be closer together and will not be of a safe distance for adequate passing. Moreover, sudden stops are expected in high traffic scenarios and a driver must be especially aware of this in order to avoid rear-end collisions. Since improper overtakings and subsequent Missouri car accidents are quite common in high traffic interstates, it would be advisable to consult a Missouri car accident lawyer if you are an accident victim.
