Personal Injury Law

Man killed after collision with passing vehicle

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

Jason Bollinger, 27, was killed in a Missouri car accident after a collision with a vehicle attempting to pass him on Route 47.

Bollinger, a resident of Park Hills, Missouri, was heading north on Route 47 in a Mercury Cougar at the time of the fatal car crash, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. At approximately 7:30 p.m., Andrew Gregory, 19, who was driving a Dodge Dakota, came up behind Bollinger. Gregory attempted to pass Bollinger's car, but the two vehicles hit each other on the center line.

After the impact, both vehicles ran off the road and hit a tree.

Bollinger, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Gregory was seriously injured and flown to St. John's Mercy Medical Center for emergency treatment. Two passengers in Gregory's car, Decker Ortmann, 18, and Samantha Randazzo, 18, were also injured, though not as seriously.

Passing vehicles is not an illegal maneuver, provided it is done in a controlled manner at a location where it is safe to do so. It is not safe to pass a car on a winding road or while approaching a hill crest because your viability is too low. The initial accident report does not describe the location where this latest accident occurred or indicate why the two vehicles collided.

Since there was a fatality, an accident reconstruction will be requested to try and fill in the details leading up to the crash. Information like the speeds of the two vehicles and where Gregory first began his passing maneuver will be helpful in determining just how this incident happened.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on October 26, 2010 (boomark / email).