Personal Injury Law

Fatal accident in I-35 construction zone

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

Seth Stanley, 27, was killed and two others were injured in a three-vehicle Missouri car wreck near a construction zone on Interstate 35.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the accident occurred around 7:30 p.m. Friday at mile marker 33. Keith Emmons, 43, was heading southbound on the highway in his 2001 Mercury when he slowed due to construction traffic. Stanley was following behind Emmons in a 2002 Dodge and failed to stop before rear-ending the 2001 Mercury. A third vehicle, a 2008 Chevrolet driven by Christine Young, 57, was also traveling southbound and slammed into the back of Stanley's vehicle.

Stanley was pronounced dead at the scene. Emmons and Young both sustained injuries and were taken by ambulance to local hospitals.

According to the initial crash report on this Missouri rear-end collision, Stanley suffered his fatal injuries in the second impact when the Chevrolet hit his vehicle.

More investigation into this fatal traffic accident will be needed and, since there was a fatality, an accident reconstruction will be performed. Investigators will be looking into how two drivers could not see the traffic back up before rear-ending the vehicle ahead. They will also look at road conditions and the speeds of the three vehicles.

Typically, in a rear-end collision, negligence is presumed on the part of the at-fault driver. This is because all drivers are supposed to be in control of where their vehicle's forward motion is taking them, and generally rear-end collisions can be avoided if a safe distance between vehicles is maintained. There are rare exceptions and the possibility of extenuating circumstances in some cases, so the counsel of experienced Missouri personal injury attorneys is often essential.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on September 25, 2010 (boomark / email).