Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog

A pedestrian from St. Louis, Missouri suffered personal injury in a Jefferson County Missouri pedestrian accident. The accident occurred at the intersection of Route M and West Outer Road I-55.

20 year old pedestrian Christopher A. Taylor was standing on the northwest court of the intersection just before the accident. Taylor attempted to cross Route M. However, just as Taylor began to cross, a 1996 Chevrolet 3500 pickup truck crashed into Taylor. The pickup truck was driven by Mark S. Johnson, 43, of Herculaneum, Missouri.

A Rock Township ambulance transported Taylor to St. Anthony’s Medical Center for medical treatment. Taylor suffered moderate personal injuries in the accident. The pickup truck driver suffered no reported personal injury in the accident.

Thousands of pedestrians are injured each year in pedestrian accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), roughly 5,000 pedestrians die in car accidents each year. Pedestrians are extremely vulnerable when a car strikes them. Drivers are protected from personal injury by their vehicle, especially newer vehicles which are equipped with extensive safety features. Pedestrians are not protected from injury. When a car strikes a pedestrian, the pedestrian’s body endures the full force of the impact.

The accident itself does not account for all of the difficulties that an injured pedestrian faces. Even when a pedestrian is the only injured person in the accident, the driver’s defense attorney will argue that the pedestrian was responsible for the accident occurring. The defense attorney may argue that the pedestrian caused the accident by walking outside the crosswalk, jaywalking, or failing to look both ways before crossing. Defense attorneys are encouraged to make those arguments because of Missouri’s doctrine of comparative negligence.

If the court finds that the pedestrian has liability for a Missouri pedestrian accident, the court will reduce the pedestrian’s damage award accordingly. For example, the court will reduce the pedestrian’s damages by 40% if the court finds that the pedestrian was 40% at fault for the accident. Injured pedestrians should contact a Missouri pedestrian injury lawyer to learn more about protecting their damages in a lawsuit.

Michael B. Chamness of Festus, Missouri died in a Jefferson County Missouri pedestrian accident that occurred early Saturday morning. The Missouri pedestrian accident occurred on Highway 61, south of Plattin Road. Chamness entered the roadway from the west shoulder. Chamness was hit by a 1995 Toyota Camry driven by Michael J. Ellenberger of Festus. Chamness was pronounced dead by the Joachim Plattin Ambulance District. Ellenberger did not suffer any reported injuries.

Thousands of pedestrians die in traffic fatalities each year. Motor vehicles are heavy machines built of metal. On large roadways, motor vehicles may travel at high speeds. The human body may not be able to withstand a collision with a motor vehicle. As a result, pedestrians suffer the bulk of the serious injuries and fatalities caused by Missouri pedestrian accidents. In 2009, roughly 4,000 pedestrians were killed by traffic accidents nationwide.

Pedestrian accident victims should contact an experienced Missouri plaintiff attorney as soon as possible after the accident. The driver’s defense attorney will attempt to fight the accident victim’s compensation by arguing that the pedestrian was partially at fault for the accident. The defense attorney may argue that the pedestrian failed to monitor traffic before crossing or failed to walk within a crosswalk. The defense attorney may accuse the pedestrian of unexpectedly running into the road.

The defense attorney’s potential blame-shifting arguments are relevant for pedestrian accident victims because Missouri is a comparative negligence state. The compensation that the pedestrian accident victim may recover after an accident is limited by pedestrian’s percentage of fault. If the court finds that the pedestrian accident victim was partially at fault for the accident, the pedestrian accident victim may not be able recover full compensation.

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Three Missourians – including a pedestrian – were moderately to seriously injured in a Jefferson County Missouri car accident on October 15, 2011 at 9:11pm. The Jefferson County Missouri pedestrian car crash occurred on Route MM, just east of Route 30.

Another Missouri car accident had already occurred on Route MM. The previous accident involved a 2001 Buick LeSabre driven by Timothy S. Maenner of Imperial, Missouri. Pedestrian Derrick W. Voisey of Lemay, Missouri was checking in with Maenner in referenced to the accident that had already occurred. Meanwhile, Thomas A. Lewis failed to notice the previous accident while driving a 1997 Pontiac Grand Am. Lewis crashed into the rear of Maenner’s vehicle. The collision forced the door of Maenner’s vehicle close, injuring Voisey.

Lewis, Maenner, and Voisey were all injured in the Jefferson County Missouri car accident. Maenner suffered the most severe injuries and was transported to St. Anthony’s Medical Center. Lewis was taken to St. Anthony’s Medical Center with moderate injuries. Voisey was taken to St. Clare Health Center with moderate injuries. Both the Buick and the Pontiac were totaled in the accident.

This Jefferson County Missouri car accident highlights the importance of exercising care while driving near a car accident. If drivers fail to notice and accommodate previous accidents, another Missouri car accident may occur. When approaching a car accident, drivers should prudently watch out for accident victims who may exit one of the damage vehicles. When possible, changing lanes to avoid the previous accident may be advised.

If you are involved in a Missouri car accident on a public roadway, you should exercise care to avoid another accident. Turn on your hazard lights as soon as the accident occurs to alert other drivers. Carefully monitor traffic on the roadway before exiting your vehicle to check on the occupants of the other vehicle involved in the accident. If you need to discuss the accident or exchange insurance information with other people involved the accident, do so on the shoulder of the roadway instead of in traffic lanes.

If possible, accident victims may be advised to move the involved vehicles into the shoulder of the highway. If a road shoulder is not available, move the involved vehicles as far over as possible. Other drivers may not expect stopped vehicles on the roadway. If drivers do not expect an obstruction, they may take longer to adjust their speed or change lanes. Keep in mind that negligent or even reckless drivers may approach. These drivers could be operating above the speed limit or engaging in distracting activities like texting. A reckless or distracted driver may not notice your vehicles until it is too late and cause a Missouri rear end accident. While the accident victims should not take the blame for such an accident, the best accident strategy to is avoid accidents whenever possible.

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A Jefferson City Missouri pedestrian accident resulted in injuries for a 22 year old on Wednesday. The Cole County pedestrian accident began when Abby Luetkemeyer, 20, turned left from a K-Mart parking lot on the 2300 block of Missouri Blvd. Luetkemeyer turned a 2002 Chevrolet truck into the center lane to merge into traffic. As Luetkemeyer turned, 22 year old pedestrian Serenity Crump walked across Missouri Blvd. Luetkemeyer’s Chevrolet struck Crump. Crump was sent to a local hospital with moderate injuries after the accident. Both Crump and Luetkemeyer were from Jefferson City, Missouri.

The public did not react to the Jefferson City pedestrian accident with surprise. One Jefferson City resident wrote online, “I see people trying to cross MO Blvd on foot all the time. It's insane. The city needs to implement safe ways for pedestrians to get across or this kind of accident will become more prevalent.”

Roadways in Jefferson City are becoming more congested. As a result, an astonishing number of traffic accidents occur there. Data from the Missouri State Highway Patrol ranks Jefferson City as 14th among the 734 Missouri cities in traffic accidents. There are more than 1,000 traffic accidents in Jefferson City each year, many resulting in injury. Pedestrian accidents are likely to increase. Congested streets without crosswalks at regular intervals may be particularly dangerous for pedestrians. Missouri Blvd, and other major roads without sidewalks on both sides, are often the location of pedestrian accidents as well.

Jefferson City Missouri pedestrian accidents may be caused by both the driver and the pedestrian accident victim. If the accident was partially caused by the pedestrian accident victim, the doctrine of comparative fault may decrease the accident victim’s recovery in a lawsuit. The driver’s defense attorney may argue that the pedestrian was partially at fault because she was jaywalking or walking against a stop signal. To defeat these arguments and preserve their compensation, pedestrian accident victims should obtain experienced plaintiff’s lawyers who specialize in Missouri pedestrian accidents.

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