1 dead, others injured in car accidents during inclement weather

Driving on Missouri roads during inclement weather could be hazardous and may lead to situations that will test the driving skills of any driver. Many car accidents that occur in adverse weather conditions result in severe or fatal injuries. While the law considers weather conditions in lawsuits resulting from car accidents, every driver is expected to be able to adapt their driving to current conditions.

The Missouri Highway Patrol reported a fatal accident that occurred on Interstate 70 on a recent Saturday afternoon. During a heavy downpour of rain, the driver of a pickup truck allegedly failed to keep a lookout for slow-moving traffic. By the time he noticed the slow traffic ahead, it was apparently too late to avoid a collision. He allegedly smashed into an SUV and the impact caused the SUV to collide with a third vehicle.

The driver and two passengers of the SUV were all injured, and the severity of their injuries ranged from minor to severe. The injuries to a third passenger of the SUV was fatal, and her death was declared at the accident scene. The injuries suffered by the third vehicle’s driver were reported to be minor, and the pickup truck driver was uninjured. The media report made no mention of any charges filed at the time.

Missouri residents who have suffered the loss of a loved one as the result of another party’s negligent behavior while operating a vehicle retain the right to pursue a wrongful death claim in a civil court. Similarly, injured victims of such car accidents are free to file personal injury claims. Lost lives and severe injuries could be financially devastating for any family, and civil cases that are successfully presented in a court may yield monetary judgments in recovery of final costs, along with medical expenses and any additional damages allowed under state law.

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “St. Charles woman killed in Montgomery County crash“, , July 1, 2014