Personal Injury Law

Inattentive Driver Sends St Louis Woman to Hospital with Moderate Injuries in Five Car Collision

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

Syreeta A. Holland is in DePaul Hospital after being moderately injured in a Missouri rear end collision caused by an inattentive driver on March 25, 2011 at 11:45pm. Her car was totaled in this City of Saint Louis Missouri car accident.

According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, Paul E. Johnson failed to notice stopped traffic ahead of him on eastbound I-70, just west of Jennings Station Road. He slammed his 2001 Chevrolet Tahoe into the 2005 Nissan Armada driven by LaAngela A. Tompkins in a Missouri rear impact car accident. Then Johnson changed lanes and side-swiped Bertha C. Himes, who was driving a 2005 Nissan Armada, in a Missouri side impact car accident. After hitting Himes?s vehicle, Johnson crashed into Holland?s 2008 Mercedes C300. Johnson?s Tahoe then swerved and struck a 2008 Saturn Astro driven by John N. Wulf in a Missouri front impact car collision. After colliding with the four vehicles, Johnson traveled away from the scene in the grassy interstate median.

Holland sustained the only reported injury in the five car accident. Her Mercedes C300 was totaled in the accident. She was taken by Northeast Fire and EMS to Depaul Hospital. Johnson?s Tahoe was also totaled. The other vehicles sustained minor to moderate damage. All of the drivers were reportedly insured and wearing their safety device except for Johnson.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rates driver inattention as the leading factor in both crashes. In a research report made in conjunction with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, the NHTSA found that 80 percent of crashes involve driver inattention within three seconds before the event. Cell phone use and drowsiness are key causes of driver inattention. The study emphasized that driving conditions change abruptly so drivers cannot predict when it is safe to look away from the road. Drivers should avoid Missouri dangerous driving distractions like applying makeup or using mobile electronic devices while driving.

The driver of a motor vehicle has a duty to exercise reasonable care while driving. If an inattentive driver was distracted by eating or talking on a cellular phone, an knowledgeable Missouri accident attorney can argue that the driver breached his duty to exercise reasonable care. If the attorney proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the breach caused the crash and the crash resulted in damage to you, a successful claim for negligence is made.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on March 26, 2011 (boomark / email).